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WORTH  AND  WEALTH: 


A    COLLECTION    OF 


MAXIMS,  MORALS  AND  MISCELLANIES 


FOB 


MERCHANTS  AND  MEN  OF  BUSINESS. 


BY    FREEMAN    HUNT, 

Kditor  of  tie  "  Merchants  Magufo*,"  "  Lives  of  American  Merchants,"  • 


NEW    YORK: 
STRINGE-R    &    TOWNSEND, 

1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

FREEMAN     HUNT, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


VISCENT  DILI.,  STEREOTTPER  AM>  ELECTROTYPES, 
Nos.  29  &  31  Beekman  Street,  N.  Y. 


R.  CRAtOHIAD,   PKINTRR  AND  STEKEOTYPER, 

53  Vesey  Street, 


HF 


PREFACE. 


THE  reader  of  these  pages  will  find  in  them  no  for- 
mal code  of  Mercantile  rules,  no  systematic  treatise  on 
trade.  My  aim  is  to  present  illustrations  rather  than 
theories,  examples  rather  than  precepts.  Yet  that  there 
is  a  true  theory  of  business  is  as  evident  as  that*  every 
art  has  its  science,  or,  stating  the  matter  more  gener- 
ally and  less  formally,  that  there  is  a  good  and  a  bad, 
a  true  and  a  false  way  of  doing  every  thing.  That 
master  of  the  theory  of  Common  Sense,  Bacon,  has  said 
that  "  nothing  should  be  put  in  practice  which  has  not 
been  previously  developed  in  theory."  Trade  is  as 
universal  as  the  race,  as  ancient  as  the  first  barter, 
when  two  men  got  what  both  wanted  by  giving  what 
neither  needed,  and  each  gained,  while  neither  lost.  In 
our  day,  trade  has  penetrated  and  gives  the  key-note 
to  civilized  life,  and  Commerce,  which  used  to  hug  the 
coasts  of  the  Mediterranean,  and  then  crept  along  the 


V  PREFACE. 

shores  of  the  three  eastern  continents,  now  ransacks  the 
globe,  casts  the  shadows  of  its  masts  in  the  remotest 
inlets  of  the  Pacific  islands,  and  wakens  Saxon  echoes 
in  the  loneliest  and  dimmest  forests  of  Tasmania. 

This  rich  experience  of  every  age,  this  daily  life  of 
trade  around  us,  is  full  of  matter  for  Mercantile  Science. 
Many  a  rich  waif  of  thought  has  been  thrown  up  from 
the  heaving  ocean  of  Commercial  life.  Some  elevating 
examples  of  the  heroism  of  mercantile  honesty  and 
honor,  many  dazzling  stories  of  success,  are  to  be  found 
in  the  annals  of  trade.  Many  bright  sparks  of  wit  are 
struck  out  by  the  collisions  of  Commerce. 

Out  of  these  it  would  be  no  difficult  task  to  compile 
the  Percy  Anecdotes  of  Trade,  a  sort  of  Mercantile 
Lacon,  or  Hand-Book  of  Mercantile  Practice.  It  would 
be  still  more  profitable  to  arrange  this  mass  of  material 
into  something  like  system,  and  to  construct  out  of 
them  a  true  theory  of  business.  And  it  is  strange,  that 
while  every  profession,  every  mechanical  art  has  its 
theory,  no  ong  has  as  yet  attempted  to  construct  the 
Science  of  Business. 

Such  a  system  would  ^  embrace  a  code  of  business* 
ethics,  including  the  Morals  and  Manners  of  Trade, 
the  rationale  of  business  management,  and  a  course  of 


PBEFACE. 


business  education,  including  the  study  of  the  resources 
of  nations,  and  Commercial  Geography,  the  processes  of 
production,  and  the  Laws  of  Wealth,  or  Political  Econ- 
omy. And  it  might  be  studied  with  advantage  by  the 
Merchant's  Clerk,  just  as  the  law  student,  or  the  medical 
student,  studies  the  elementary  books  of  his  profession. 

Franklin  was  the  first,  I  suppose,  to  bring  together 
with  some  little  attempt  at  system  the  rules  of  business 
conduct  —  the  maxims  of  thrift.  The  influence  of  his 
writings,  which  were  full  of  the  true  philosophy  of  busi- 
ness life,  in  giving  tone  and  direction  to  the  mercantile 
mind  of  America,  and  in  a  measure  of  Europe,  has  been 
marked  and  lasting. 

Since  Franklin's  day,  while,  as  we  'have  seen,  the 
materials  have  immensely  increased,  nothing  has  been 
done  towards  arranging  and  digesting  them. 

The  last  sixteen  years  of  my  life  have  been  devoted 
to  labors  and  studies,  connected  with  what  I  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  calling  the  Literature  of  Commerce  : 
by  which  terms  is  indicated  that  branch  of  letters,  in 
which  Mercantile  affairs  find  voice  and  utterance,  either 
in  books,  or  the  periodical  press.  How  small  the  space 
in  Literature,  Commerce  which  fills  the  world,  now 
occupies,  is  too  obvious  to  need  dwelling  upon.  My 


Vlii  PREFACE. 

time  and  thought  the  best  products,  of  which  are  the 
volumes  of  the  Merchant's  Magazine,  have  been  neces- 
sarily given  to  the  more  practical,  material  aspects,  the 
facts  ami  figures  of  Trade.  But  these  dryer  studies 
have  often  been  relieved  by  lighter  and  more  inter- 
esting topics,  the  anecdote,  the  happy  illustration, 
the  pithy  maxim,  which  are  constantly  presenting 
themselves.  Nor  have  I  failed,  while  mainly  occupied 
with  the  material  aspects  of  Trade,  to  become  daily 
more  impressed  with  the  importance  of  its  social  and 
moral  aspects. 

This  book,  as  its  title  indicates,  is  a  somewhat  mis- 
cellaneous collection,  without  attempt  at  strictness  of 
method.  The  reader  may  form  from  it,  some  idea  how 
rich  in  anecdote  and  illustration  are  business  topics  ; 
not  second  in  this  respect  to  the  Science  of  Political 
Economy  itself.  To  selections  from  various  sources,  I 
have  added  my  own  contributions  and  those  of  several 
friends.  I  should  do  injustice  to  myself  as  well  as  to 
an  honored  name,  were  I  to  omit  expressing  my  obliga- 
tions in  this  particular  to  John  Grigg,  Esq.,  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

This  is  a  book  for  the  leisure  half-hour,  those  inter- 
vals which  sometimes  occur  to  the  merchant  and  the 


PREFACE.  IX 

clerk ;  for  the  fireside,  when  the  mind  seeks  relaxation, 
yet  would  not  be  unemployed,  when  the  suggestion  con- 
tained in  the  pleasant  anecdote,  or  pregnant  maxim,  finds 
entrance  into  a  mind  prepared,  and  stamps  itself  upon 
the  memory. 

The  reader  will,  I  think,  find  this  volume  an  appro- 
priate companion  to  my  "  LIVES  OP  AMERICAN  MER- 
CHANTS," .  which  furnish  noble  illustrations  of  jnany  of 
the  maxims  of  business  life  here  presented. 

FREEMAN  HUNT. 


' 


CONTENTS 


THE  "I  CANT'S,"  .  25 

ENDORSING  NOTES, 27 

HABITS  OF  A  MAX  OP  BUSINESS, 28 

BUSINESS  MEN  OP  NEW  YORK, 29 

SUCCESS.  WHAT  is  IT?  WHO  ATTAINS  IT?  .  .  *>-*  30 

FREAKS  OP  WEALTHY  MERCHANTS,  ....'.  32 

A  TRICK  IN  TRADE  TO  RECOVER  A  DEBT,  .  .  y  '.  .  33 

COMMERCE.  Dr.  Channing, 34 

JACOB  BARKER,  THE  MERCHANT  AND  LAWYER,  ...  36 

PLETHORA  IN  COMMERCIAL  PURSUITS, 86 

SKILL  OP  A  MERCHANT v  •'•';.  87 

MORALITY  OP  INSURANCE.  Dimond,  .-..'.  38 

ACTmTY  IS  NOT  ALWAYS  ENERGY, ,  88 

THE  MAN  OF  BUSINESS  AND  THE  BUSINESS  MAW,  ...  41 

MEANNESS  IN  BUSINESS, 43 

How  TO  PROSPER  IN  BUSINESS, 45 

MANNERS  FOR  MERCHANTS, 45 

HONESTY  OP  WILLIAM  GRAY, 46 

CREDIT  OR  CASH  BUSINESS, .  47 

CHOICE  OP  A  STORE, 47 

PETER  C.  BROOKS,  THE  WISE  MERCHANT  AND  UPRIGHT  MAN. 

Edward  Everett, 48 

PAST  AND  PRESENT  POSITION  OF  THE  MERCHANT.  Charlet 

Sumner, 52 

EFFECTS  OP  OSTENTATION  UPON  CREDIT,  .....  52 

THE  GOOD  MERCHANT, '.  56 

RELIGION  AND  BUSINESS.  Olive  Branch,  ...  60 


Xli  CONTENTS. 

Page 
JAMES  HOLFORD,  OB  THE  VIRTUESL.WHICH  COMMAND  SDCCESS. 

Philadelphia  Merchant, 62 

RULES  OF  McDoNOGH,  THE  MILLIONAIRE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS,  64 

SELF-RELIANCE,  THE  MAIN  SPRING  OF  SUCCESS,  ...  65 

HONORABLE  CONDUCT  OF  HENRY  SHELTON,  ....  67 

THE  WAY  TO  WEALTH,  ILLUSTRATED, 68 

TULIP  MANIA.  Business  as  it  Is  and  as  it  Should  Be,  .  .  69 

WAS  IT  FOR  THAT  HE  FAILED? 70 

DON'T  LEAVE  A  LEGITIMATE  BUSINESS  FOR  FINANCIERING.  New 

York  Independent,          .......  72 

FRANKLIN'S  ADDRESS  TO  A  YOUNG  TRADESMAN,  ...  73 

DR.  ADAM'S  IDEAL  OF  A  MERCHANT, 75 

STICK  TO  THE  CONTRACT.  Philadelphia  ^Merchant,  .  .  77 

FAILURES.  Boston  Evening  Gazette, 78 

COMMERCE  AND  MANUFACTURES  IN  GREECE.  Boecks1  Economy 

of  Athens, 80 

A  GENUINE  SCOUNDREL  IN  BUSINESS, 81 

GENEROSITY  AND  GRATITUDE  OP*  A  CHINESE  MERCHANT,  .  .  82 

SELF-RELIANCE  IMPORTANT  TO  THE  MERCHANT,  ...  82 

HONOR  OF  AN  HONEST  MAN, 83 

HARD  TIMES  AND  THEIR  REMEDY, 84 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  COMMERCE.  Wm.  Dearden,  ....  86 

A  BENEVOLENT  QUAKER  MERCHANT, 88 

THE  BENEVOLENT  EAST  INDIA  MERCHANT,  .  .  .  .  89 

THE  MERCHANT  PATRON  OF  THE  FIXE  ARTS.  Thos.  G.  Gary,  91 

SMUGGLED  GOODS,  ANECDOTE  OF  THE  LAST  WAR,  ...  95 

WHERE  SAILS  THE  SHIP?  , 97 

IMPORTANCE  OF  MERCANTILE  LIBRARY  ASSOCIATIONS.  Robert 

C.  Winthrop, 98 

COMMERCIAL  VIEW  OF  WAR,  Elihu  Burritt,  ...  100 

THE  LARGE  AND  LIBERAL  MERCHANT, 102 

WHAT  A  MAN  OF  BUSINESS  SHOULD  BE,  ....  103 

THE  MAN  RETIRED  FROM  BUSINESS, 104 

CREDIT  TO  MEN  OF  DOUBTFUL  INTEGRITY 105 

ANECDOTE  OF  AN  EDINBURGH  MERCHANT, 106 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

THE  BRITISH  MERCHANT, 106 

How  TO  MAKE  A  GOOD  CLERK, 107 

COMMERCIAL  VALUE  OP  INSECTS,     .        .        ....        .  108 

POLICY  OP  IMPRISONMENT  FOR  DEBT, 108 

A  BENEVOLENT  CHINESE  MERCHANT, 110 

THE  MERCHANT'S  REVENGE.    Montgomery's  Law  of  Kindness,  111 

LEGISLATION  RESPECTING  THE  LAWS  OP  DEBTOR  AND  CREDITOR,  113 

CANT,  OR  COMMERCIAL  PIETY  AND  PROFIT,        ....  114 

THE  RICH  AND  THE  POOR, 115 

LATE  HOURS  OF  BUSINESS.    R.  B.  Grindrod,  LL.D.,      .        .  116 

LOVE  OF  MONEY  IN  AMERICA 117 

NEVER  MAKE  A  PROMISE  THAT  YOU  CAN'T  KEEP.     Philadelphia 

Ledger, 118 

SUCCESS  IN  LIFE  DEPENDS  UPON  PERSEVERANCE,       .        .        .  120 

MERCHANDISING, 121 

SMUGGLING  OF  GOODS  IN  SPAIN, 122 

THE  INVESTMENT  ;  OR  THE  Two  MERCHANTS.    Horace  G.  Wood,  124 

"  HONESTY  is  THE  BEST  POLICY," 128 

THE  LITTLE  GIRL  AND  HER  FATHER  ox  THE  CREDIT  SYSTEM. 

Mobile  Tribune,      ..-:_*•...' 129 

COMMERCE  AND  THE   OPIUM  TRADE   AT  HONG  KONG.    David- 
son's Trade  and^ravel,       vl ..-,.»,.  "...        .        .        .  130 

SMUGGLING  BY  AMERICAN  AND  FRENCH  WHALERS,        .        .  182 

THE  MERCHANT  vs.  THE  WARRIOR.     Theodore  Parker,    .        .  133 

REPARATION  FOR  COMMERCIAL  REVULSIONS,  ....  134 

WASHINGTON  AS  A  MERCHANT, 135 

BUSINESS  EMBARRASSMENTS.    Foster, 141 

THE  RETURN  OF  THE  SHIPS.    Miss  F.  M.  -Caulkins,       ,        .  142 

AGREEMENTS,  OR  VERBAL  CONTRACTS,   .        .        .        .        .  144 

THE  PRAYING  PARSEE  MERCHANT, 145 

LIBERALITY  OF  AN  ENGLISH  MERCHANT  TO  A  FRAUDULENT  DEBTOR. 

Boston  Post, 146 

INGENIOUS  METHOD  OF  SMUGGLING  TOBACCO,         .        .        .  147 

THE  MERCANTILE  CLASSES  OR  GRADES.     Theodore  Parker,     .  148 

MAMMON  AND  MANHOOD, 150 


JQV  CONTENTS. 


Page 

HONESTLY  ACQUIRED  WEALTH, 151 

MERCANTILE  CHARACTER.    Phila.  Evening  Bulletin,    .  '  *".  • '  152 

ECONOMY  OF  SAVING  INTEREST,         .    '^  I" "*' '..-:' ' ' '.   ;  >'       .  154 

ACTING  ON  PRINCIPLES  OP  TRUE  MORAL  HONESTY,        .        .  165 

JOHN  GRIGG  THE  PHILADELPHIA  BOOKSELLER,  ....  156 

SACREDNESS  OP  DEBTS,    .        .        ;        .  "     .        .        .    *'.'  163 

THE  COURSE  OF  COMMERCE,  PEACEFUL.    Reverdy  Johnson,      .  164 

WHAT  A  MERCHANT  SHOULD  BE.    Jas.  Wm.  Gillart,    .        .  165 

SHOPKEEPING  IN  ROME.    Fanny  Kemble,         ....  166 

IMMEDIATE  RELIEF  WANTED,   .......  169 

A  MUSICAL  SKETCH  FOR  MERCHANTS.    Richard  S.  Willis,       .  170 

WILSON  G.  HUNT:  Jin  Example  for  Merchants,  .        .     "' .  173 

MODEL  DRY  GOODS  STORE  IN  PHILADELPHIA,    .        .        .        .  174 

WHAT  CAUSED  HIS  FAILURE?    Phila.  Merchant,  .        .        .  176 

HONESTY  OF  A  CHARLESTON  MERCHANT,                    *  178 

WHAT  MERCANTILE  MEN  THINK  OF  THE  USURY  LAWS,           .  179 
WHAT  THE  HONEST  MERCHANT  DOES  IN  BANKRUPTCY.     Judge 

Hopkinson,       . "     ?""'"• :.%  •' .   '"• 179 

WILLIAM  OLIVER,  HIS  BENEVOLENCE, 181 

CHARACTER  MORE  VALUABLE  THAN  WEALTH.    Independent,    .  182 

CONDITIONS  OF  A  BARGAIN  TO  BE  UNDERSTOOD  BEFOREHAND,  184 

ENERGY  versus  DESPAIR,    .        .        .        .    ^.        .        .        .  185 

DYMOND'S  MORALITY  FOR  MERCHANTS, 186 

WHY  is  A  MAN  OBLIGED  TO  PAY  His  DEBTS?    Jonathan  Dy- 

mond,   .       "V       • 187 

MINORS'  DEBTS.     Dymond, 193 

FIRE  INSURANCE:  ITS  IMPORTANCE,  .  '•"»•'-"'  196 
MERCANTILE  EDUCATION,  .  .  .  ';...  -.*"*  ',* '"••  ±  .  197 
ENTERPRISE  AND  WEALTH  OF  JACQUES  COSUR,  THE  FRENCH  AR- 
GONAUT. London  Examiner,  .  '  .^-  ••• ,»'-'•  .  .  .  202 
A  HAMBURG  MERCHANT  IN  HIS  COUNTING  ROOM,  .  .  .  205 
ANECDOTE  OF  A  RUSSIAN  SEA  CAPTAIN'S  WIFE,  .  .  .  214 
CONDITIONS  OF  SUCCESS  IN  BUSINESS.  Mercantile  Times,  .  215 
AN  APPLICATION  FOR  A  CLERKSHIP.  Phila.  Merchant,  .  ,  218 
WHAT  THE  TRUE  MERCHANT  SHOULD  BE.  Judge  Hall,  '•*  -,v  '  220 


CONTENTS.  XV 

Page 

NEVEK  TALK  OP  TOUB  DESIGNS  TILL  THEY  HATE  BEEN  ACCOM- 
PLISHED.   Foster,         .        .        .'              .        .        .  226 
CONFIDENCE  AND  CREDIT.    Manchester  Guardian,  .        .        .  226 
PROFITABLE  SPECULATION  BY  THE  CAPTAIN  OF  A  WHALE  SHIP,  227 

CARRYING  BENEVOLENCE  INTO  TRADE, 228 

ORDER  AND  METHOD  IN  FILING  BILLS, 232 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  MERCANTILE  LIFE, 233 

THE  TEMPTATIONS  OF  THE  MERCHANT, 236 

THOUGHTS  ON  MERCANTILE  INTEGRITY.    Placer  Times,        .  241 

LETTER  FROM  A  NEW  ENGLAND  MERCHANT  TO  His  SON,         .  242 

VALUE  OF  ADVERTISING  TO  MERCHANTS,        ....  244 
ITHIEL  TOWN'S  INTEGRITY  IN  THE  BOOK  TRADE,       .        .        .    •   246 

FIRMNESS,  IMPORTANT  TO  THE  MERCHANT,      ....  246 

PICK  UP  THAT  PIN,  OR  HINTS  FOR  BUSINESS  MEN,     .        .        .  247 

PUNCTUALITY,  OR  BUSINESS  BEFORE  PLEASURE.    Phila.  Inquirer,  249 

WHAT  THE  GOOD  MERCHANT  DOES.    Theodore  Parker,  .        .  252 

COMMERCIAL  SPECULATION.    Dr.  Chalmers,   ....  254 

THE  GOOD  MERCHANT,  DRAWN  FROM  LIFE.    Alexander  Young,  255 

WISH  FOR  NO  MAN'S  WEALTH, 260 

BUYIN-G  AND  SELLING,    .'•'.''     .        .        .        .*      .  " ,  . ' "  264 

THE  HABIT  OF  MAKING  CHARGES  ON  SLATE,    .        .       -,       ...  266 

THE  SAVINGS  BANK;  OR  HOW  TO  BUY  A  HOUSE.    Oliver  Optic,  267 

CHARACTER  AND  CAPITAL.    Phila.  Ledger,        ....  277 

A  PRACTICAL  BUYER,      .        .,      >        .        .        .        .        .  279 

PUNCTUALITY  IN  ALL  THINGS, 280 

"  OPPOSITION  THE  LIFE  OF  TRADE."    Boston  Even'g.  Gazette,  281 

REGULAR  BUSINESS,. 283 

RULES  FOR  GETTING  RICH, 285 

CUSTOM  OF  HANGING  BANKRUPTS  IN  HAMBURG,      .        .        .  287 

DANGERS  OF  A  BUSINESS  LIFE, 288 

ASCERTAIN  THE  STATE  OF  YOUR  AFFAIRS,      ....  292 

SUCCESS  IN  LIFE.     Osborne,       .        .    .   5        .  *•    .        .        .  293 

THE  ACCOMPLISHMENTS  OF  THE  MERCHANT,    ....  295 

SUCCESS,  OR  GETTING  ON  IN  LIFE, 297 

THE  CONSEQUENCES  OF  ENDORSING,        .....  298 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

THE  HONEST  DEBTOR,        ...        .       .       •    '%      „•'  :    *  '  2" 

THE  HONEST  INSOLVENT,     -    .        .        .        .        .        .     _. .  •  300 

THE  BANKRUPT'S  ENTERTAINMENT,       .        .        .        .        .        ;,  300 

THE  BANKRUPT  QUAKER,  .  .  .  .,,..,  301 

BE  CAREFUL  OP  SMALL  THINGS, •  .  301 

WHAT  ONCE  MADE  THE  MERCHANT  A  GENTLEMAN,          .        .  302 

THE  RIGHT  MEN  FOR  THE  RIGHT  PLACE,          .        .       ...        .  303 

HONOR  IN  BUSINESS.     Phila.  Merchant,        ....  304 

SUCCESS  IN  BUSINESS,  THE  RESULT  OF  GOOD  MANAGEMENT,      .  307 

METHOD  IN  BUSINESS.     Correspondent  Merchant's  Magazine,  308 

DUTY  OF  THE  MERCHANT  TO  THE  UNFORTUNATE,  .        .        .  311 

NEVER  DO  Too  MUCH  AT  A  TIME.    Bulwer,     ....  314 

THE  YOUNG  MEN  OF  THE  PRESENT  DAY,       ....  315 

CHANCES  OF  SUCCESS  IN  COMMERCE  AND  AGRICULTURE,  .  .  817 

AMOS  LAWRENCE  THE  UPRIGHT  MERCHANT,  ....  318 

PAWNBROKING  IN  BARCELONA,  SPAIN, 323 

THE  SUREST  WAY  OF  GETTING  RICH, 324 

THE  RIGHT  AIM  OF  THE  MERCHANT  SURVIVES  DEFEAT,  .  .  327 

THE  COMMERCIAL  TRAVELER  OF  THE  PAST  AND  THE  PRESENT,  328 
CLAIMS  OF  AMERICAN  MERCHANTS  FOR  INDEMNITY  FOR  FRENCH 

SPOLIATIONS.  Wm.  H.  Seward,  .  .  . .  -  .  329 

How  TO  REFORM  A  DISHONEST  CLERK.  Boston  Traveler,  .  331 

THE  ABUSE  OF  THE  CREDIT  SYSTEM, 332 

McDoNOGH's  MAXIMS  FOR  GETTING  RICH,  .  .  .  .  335 
SHIPWRECKS  ;  OR  SUGGESTIONS  TO  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANIES. 

Household  Words, 1 J  .  .  337 

THE  HIGHER  LAWS  OF  TRADE.  Luther  Bradish,  .  .  .  339 

ADULTERATIONS  OF  TRADE,  t -. 340 

INTEGRITY,  THE  BASIS  OF  CREDIT,         .     ^.,     ....        .        .  340 

ALL  CLASSES  INTERESTED  IN  THE  WELFARE  OF  COMMERCE,      ..  342 

WHAT  THE  AMERICAN  MERCHANT  DOES,         ....  342 

THE  AMERICAN  SHIPMASTER  THE  COADJUTOR  OF  THE  MERCHANT,  343 

WHAT  COMMERCE  HAS  DONE  FOR  THE  WORLD,  .  .  .  343 

COMMERCE  SUPPLIES  OCR  INCREASING  WANTS,  .  .  v  v»,  ...,  345 

LIFE  INSURANCE  ASSIMILATES  WITH  GAMBLING.  A,  B.  Johnson,  845 


CONTENTS.  XVU 


Page 

ACCUMULATION*  PREFERABLE  TO  LIFE  INSURANCE.   A.B.  Johnson,  346 
VALUE  OF  WEALTH  MEASURED  BY  THE  SOCIAL  INFLUENCE  IT 

CONFERS, .      .  .        .        .  847 

SAVINGS  BANKS,  THE  LABORING  MAN'S  BEST  MODE  OF  ACCUMU- 
LATION.   Ji.  B.  Johnson, 348 

VALUE  OF  MERCANTILE  BIOGRAPHY.    Arthur's  Home  Gazette,  350 

THE  INCREASE  OF  WEALTH  BY  GRADUAL  ACCUMULATION,        •.,  352 

RULES  FOR  GETTING  RICH,      .......  353 

DISHONORABLE  THICKS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHERS,     ....  354 

MADAM  RUMOR'S  REPORT  OF  FAILURES, 355 

GEORGE  PEABODY,  THE  AMERICAN  BANKER  IN  LONDON,    .        .  356 
ACCUMULATION   SHOULD  BE   MADE   FOR  OUR  OWN  AND  OTHERS 

HAPPINESS, 358 

MORAL  EFFECT  OF  THE   USURY  LAWS.    New  York  Mercantile 

Library  Lecture, 3581 

BUBBLES  ;  OR  THE  TENDENCY   OF  THE  PUBLIC  MIND  TO  INFLA- 
TION.    JV.    West.  Gazette, 859 

MORAL  COURAGE  OF  AN  ERRAND  BOY,  .  ...  3G1 
CREDIT  :  OR  THE  RECIPE  THAT  CURES.  Carpet  Bag,  .  .  363 
THE  MORAL  CONDUCT  OF  PARTNERS  IN  TRADE.  H.  W.Beecher,  3G5 
THE  FEARLESS  AND  ENTERPRISING,  CONTRASTED  WITH  THE  FAL- 
TERING AND  HESITATING  MAN  OF  BUSINESS,  .  .  367 
How  TO  ELEVATE  OUR  SEAMEN.  Sailor's  Magazine,  *  .  368 
DECEASED  BOSTON  MERCHANTS.  Boston  Post.  .  .  .  368 
BEWARE  OF  THINKING  ALL  YOUR  OWN  THAT  YOU  POSSESS. 

Franklin, 370 

BANQUET  OF  THE  PARIS  RAO  GATHERERS,          ....  371 

WHAT  A  COTEMPORARY  THINKS  OF  MEN-MILLINERS,       .        .  372 

NATURAL  POLITENESS  OF  SAILORS,     ....                .  373 

FOSDICK'S  IDEA  OF  TRADE.     David  Fosdick,     •     .        .        .  375 

STATISTICS  OF  SMUGGLING  AT  AIX-LA-CHAPELLE,       .        .        .  378 

LIFE  INSURANCE  AND  SAVINGS  BANKS, 878 

INTEGRITY  THE  FOUNDATION  OF  MERCANTILE  CHARACTER.     Cum- 

tiling's  Evening  Bulletin, 379 

COMMERCE  AND  CONSCIENCE.     Henry  Ward  Beecher,       .        .  882 


XVU1  CONTENTS. 

Page 
•    ^<  '  ' 

RASCALS  AND  HONEST  MEN, '.-,.'_ 

LYING  versus  TRUTH,        "; '      /       .        .        .'       .        .  /     •        383 

RISKS  OF  REPUTATION, 383 

INFLUENCE  OF  GOLD  ON  THE  UNDERSTANDING,   .        .  '      .        .    .   334 
AIDS  AND  HINDRANCES  TO  SUCCESS  IN  MERCANTILE  PURSUITS. 

Companions  of  my  Solitude, 384 

ENERGETIC  MEN  AND  MERCHANTS, 387 

THE  MERCHANT'S  CLERK  AND  THE  PLOWBOT,     ....        387 
THE  PEDDLER  ;  OR  A  PENCHANT  FOR  BUYING  CHEAP.    Evening 

Gazette,  .        .        .        .     "  .' "-*' 

HONESTY  IN  MERCANTILE  LIFE.    Merchants'  Ledger,  . 

SOCK  SELLER  OF  POYDRAS  MARKET,  NEW  ORLEANS, 

A  PROVERB  FOR  MERCHANTS,  ILLUSTRATED,   .... 

REVIVAL  OF  AN  OLD  CUSTOM  AT  HAMBURG,       .        .        . 

AN  ENTERPRISING  WOMAN  IN  CALIFORNIA.     Boston  Traveler, 

AN  ANECDOTE  OF  HEALTH  INSURANCE,      . 

THE  RULE  OF  BUYING  CHEAP  AND  SELLING  DEAR, 

THE  FAST  MAN  OF  BUSINESS,    .        .        .  •     . 

COMPETITION  IN  TRADE.     The  Merchant, 

AN  EYE  TO  BUSINESS.  OR  THE  DISCONSOLATE  FAMILY,      .        . 

ANECDOTE  OF  A  RETIRED  HARDWARE  MERCHANT, 

No  ANTAGONISM  BETWEEN  CAPITAL  AND  LABOR.   Edward  Everett, 

THE  BANKER'S  SATURDAY  NIGHT.    Independent, 

ANECDOTE  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  ENTERING  MERCANTILE  LIFE, 

FREEDLEY'S  BOOK  ON  GETTING  MONEY.    Merchants'  Magazine, 

ROTHSCHILD'S  OPINIONS,  MAXIMS,  ETC., 

RICARDO'S  MAXIMS  OF  TRADE, 

JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR, 

NICHOLAS  LONGWOUTH,  THE  MILLIONAIRE  OF  CINCINNATI, 
FREEDLEY'S  MOTTO. — SELF-RELIANCE,  SELF-DEPENDENCE,  . 
BUSINESS   REASONS   FOR  TAKING  THE   MERCHANTS'  MAGAZINE. 

Freedley,'  .•**  &-  ...  '<;';'•  '.  .  .  .  412 
A  PICTURE  OF  OUR  COMMERCIAL  PROGRESS.  David  Seymour,  413 
DUTY  OF  PAYING  DEBTS.  Sachem,  -V:  i  .  .  .  .  414 
TALLEYRAND  AND  THE  ANXIOUS  BANKER,  ....  415 


CONTENTS.  XLX 


WHEN  MONEY  BECOMES  CHEAP,  FUNDS  GO  UP.    Dutchman,    .  416 

WHAT  CAN  A  CHRISTIAN  MERCHANT  Do  ?    Pittsburgh  Despatch,  416 

LUXDY  FOOT  THE  SNUFF  MANUFACTURER  OF  DUBLIN,        .        .  417 

THE  MAS  WHO  DKVOTED  HIMSELF  EXCLUSIVELY  TO  HIS  BUSINESS,  418 

THE  EBBS  AND  FLOWS  OF  COMMERCE,       .    .  •*/     r*.  •  •=   •  '     •  418 

THE  CONTRABAND  MUSEUM  IN  PARIS, 419 

How  TO  COLLECT  A  DEBT, 420 

SUCCESS   IN  WHAT  WE   LOVE,   IS  FAILURE  IN  WHAT  WE   NEGLECT,  421 

BEHIND  TIME.    Baltimore  Sun, 422 

STICK  TO  YOUR  BUSINESS.   -Worcester  Transcript,       .        .  424 

CAPITAL  AND  ENTERPRISE.    Philadelphia  Merchant,        .        .  426 

KEEP  YOUR  WATCH  TEN  MINUTES  FAST,        ....  432 

LAZINESS  AND  OVERWORK.     Newark  Advertiser,      .        .        .  435 

APPEARANCES  NOT  ALWAYS  TO  BE  TRUSTED,   ....  435 

OCCUPATION  :  ITS  GLORY  AND  IMPORTANCE,       ....  436 

How  TO  LEARN  THE  VALUE  OF  MONEY.    Knickerbocker,    .  436 

THE  MERCHANT  TAILOB  AND  THE  POOR  WOMAN,       .        .        .  437 

IDLENESS, 442 

PUNCTUALITY  :  AN   ANECDOTE  OF  DEAN  SWIFT  AND  THE  SHOE- 
MAKER,       443 

PERSEVERANCE  :  ITS  VALUE.    Religious  Herald,  .        .        .  445 

THE  BUSINESS  MAN'S  DISCIPLINE, 446 

THE  USES  OF  COMMERCE  :  A  DIALOGUE.    John  Bowring,    .  448 

THE  VALUE  OF  KIND  WORDS, 457 

WILL  YOUNG  BULLION  EVER  BE  RICH  ?    Waverley  Magazine,  458 
INTEGRITY  OF  CHARACTER  AND  TRUTH,  THE  PREREQUISITES  FOR 

SUCCESS.    Merchant, 460 

GETTING  ALONG  SLOWLY.    Philadelphia  Merchant,         .        .  461 

SMUGGLING  IN  CHINA, 464 

ALPHA  AND  OMEGA;  OR  THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESS.    Philadel- 
phia Merchant, 464 

JOHN  DOE  ;  OR  WHAT  is  HE  WORTH  ?    Christian  Intelligencer,  466 
AN  HONEST  DEBTOR,  AND  A  CONSIDERATE  MERCHANT.    Boston 

Transcript, 469 

THE  COMPLAINTS  AGAINST  TRADE  ANSWERED,    ....  472 

PERSEVERANCE,  ILLUSTRATED.    Bmcring'a  Minor  Morals,   .  473 


XX  CONTENTS. 


Page 

SYMPTOMS  OF  ANOTHER  COMMERCIAL  CRISIS.    Phila.  Ledger,   .  482 
MERCANTILE  COURTESY.     Boston  Evening  Transcript,         .  484 
LIFE  ECONOMY.     Philadelphia  Merchant,    '  -'. .       "..  •     7        .  485 
"  I  HAVE  LIVED  TOO  FAST."     Congregational  Herald,    r>   , f  .  487 
THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  CHARACTER  ;   OR  STARTING  IN  LIFE.    Phila- 
delphia Inquirer,        .......  489 

MORAL  COURAGE,  A  GREAT  AND  RARE  VIRTUE.     C.  M.  Clay,  492 

MOMENTUM  OF  BUSINESS  CHARACTER, 493 

FAINTHEART  AND  RESOLUTE  ;  OR  "I  CAN "  AND  " I  WILL,"    .  495 

RECOMMENDATION  OP  A  CABIN  BOY,       .        .        .        .        .  496 

PARSIMONY  AND  ECONOMY  IN  TRADE, 497 

EMPLOYMENT  OP  LADIES  AS  CLERKS  IN  STORES.     New  York 

i.V'-  „  Daily  Times,         .        ,•:-.'•.         .         .         ,         .  499 
THE  POWER  OF  INTEGRITY  ILLUSTRATED  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  PETER 

C.  BROOKS,    .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .  600 

THE  INFLUENCE  AND  CHARACTER  OF  THE  MERCHANT.    Hunt's 

Lives  of  American  Merchants, 603 


WEALTH    AND   WORTH: 


A    COLLECTION 


OF    MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES, 


1. 

THE  "  I  CANT'S" — are  numerous  and  ubiquitous.  Their  num- 
bers are  astonishing.  A  curious  statistician  estimates  that  about 
one-half  of  the  children  born  into  the  world,  are  furnished  by 
Nature  with  a  remarkable  lingual  facility  for  the  utterance  of 
this  brief  and  cowardly  sentence.  Neither  time  or  experience 
enables  them  to  abolish  from  their  vocabulary  these  fatal  words, 
and  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  they  drag  a  slip-shod  life  spent 
in  accomplishing  nothing  from  the  fact,  that  they  lack  the  energy 
and  will  necessary  to  accomplish. 

These  human  drags  are  recognizable  anywhere  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, and  in  whatever  garb.  In  the  palace,  but  more 
often  in  the  prison,  especially  in  such  enlightened  States  as  ours, 
where  prisons  serve  as  a  welcome  refuge  to  many  of  them,  who 
are  too  utterly  worthless  to  get  their  own  living,  and  therefore 
force  their  creditors  to  get  it  for  them.  And  with  this  exception, 
we  can  see  no  other  humane  purpose  in  a  debtor's  prison.  Of 
the  regal  and  ducal  "  I  cant's,"  history  furnishes  too  many 
examples  to  need  illustration  at  our  hands.  Of  titled  members 

2 


26  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


of  the  order,  of  lower  degree,  the  world  is  cursed  with  a  less 
number  than  formerly,  for  the  reason,  that  the  race  is  dying  of 
mere  inanity;  but  in  the  great  world,  among  the  masses,  it  is 
astonishing  what  a  host  of  drones  share  the  honey  of  the  bees' 
gathering.  Regarding  everything  they  do  as  a  hardship,  looking 
upon  labor  as  an  evil,  it  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  moral  duty  with 
such  men  to  do  as  little  as  possible,  and  get  all  they  can  for 
it.  "  I  can't,"  is  their  shibboleth  and  shield.  Propose  to  them 
the  accomplishment  of  whatever  new  work,  anything  out  of  the 
beaten  track,  any  little  addition  to  what  they  have  done,  and  see ! 
how,  like  trained  jack-daws — their  beaks  fly  open — without  a 
moments  consideration  of  the  possibility  or  desirability  of  the 
doing — and,  out  it  comes!  like  the  "pretty  Polly!"  of  a  pet 
parrot — "I  can't!" 

We  have  said — you  may  know  them  everywhere,  in  the  legis- 
lative Halls,  on  the  battle-field,  in  the  council-chamber,  at  the 
bar,  in  the  counting-house,  in  the  studio,  at  the  bench,  or  in  the 
furrow,  for  they  are  spawned  everywhere;  and  among  all  classes 
of  industrials — merchants  or  mechanics,  you  may  know  "  I 
can't" — as  well  by  what  he  does,  as  by  what  he  will  not  try  to  do; 
and  a  miserable — mumbling — mealy-mouthed — mountain-raising, 
and  mole-hill  moving  mummy  of  a  man,  will  you  find  him  in  any 
of  these  pursuits.  He  is  always  for  delay.  ' '  He  has'nt  time,  or 
he  has'nt  tools;  he  lacks  means;  or  he  must  have  more  help;" 
you  "had  better  wait,"  or  he  knows  "it  is  impossible;"  any- 
thing rather  than  do  it.  "  I'll  try! "  never  comes  into  Ms  head, 
as  it  did  into  Captain  Bragg's;  to  try  being  just  what  he  wishes 
to  escape  from;  while  to  say  "  I  can't,"  is  the  easiest,  as  well  as 
the  meanest  method  of  accomplishing  his  desire. 

"  I  can't,"  is  a  humbug  and  a  nuisance,  and  society  ought  to 
make  him  sensible  of  the  fact,  by  kicking  him  without  its  pale. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  27 


All  things  are  possible  —  to  God!  and  of  the  countless  things  pos- 
sible to  man,  through  the  right  use  of  the  gifts  He  has  bestowed 
upon  him,  not  one  in  a  hundred  have  yet  been  accomplished; 
myriads  of  failures  resulting  from  the  soulless  efforts  and  com- 
binated  blunderings  of  the  inanimate  host  of  "I  can'ts."  A 
boy,  of  sound  body  and  mind,  ought  to  be  punished  every  time 
he  uses  the  phrase,  by  the  adoption  of  which  salutary  corrective, 
the  number  of  the  men  who  will  use  it  can  be  materially  dimin- 
ished. "  Cant,"  is  the  most  contemptible  combination  of  letters 
'known  to  the  English  scholar;  and  it  may  be  safely  assumed  that 
neither  Alfred,  nor  Arkwright;  Milton,  nor  Maury;  Washing- 
ton, nor  Whitney  ;  Girard  nor  Astor,  nor  any  other  among  the 
glorious  galaxy  of  determinate  industrial  stars,  ever  yet  recog- 
nized the  canting  use  to  which  the  phrase  is  put  by  such  as  we 
describe. 


WHAT,  (asks  the  Boston  Transcript,}  can  be  more  vexatious 
than  to  become  involved  by  endorsements  ?  You  meet  with  a 
friend  who  wishes  to  get  a  discount  at  a  bank.  It  is  necessary 
to  have  an  endorser.  He  asks  you  to  put  your  name  on  the  back 
of  his  note,  merely  as  a  matter  of  form.  Out  of  kindness  or  good 
nature  you  do  it,  though  you  reap  not  the  least  benefit  by  so 
doing.  By  and  by,  the  note  becomes  due.  It  is  not  paid,  and 
you  are  forthwith  notified  that  you,  being  the  endorser,  must 
hand  over  the  needful.  There  is  no  remedy.  Your  name  is 
down  in  black  and  white,  and  you  cannot  erase  it.  Can  any 
thing  be  more  provoking  ?  Here  you  have  done  a  good-natured 
act  of  disinterested  benevolence,  and  your  pocket  must  suffer  for 
it.  A  debt  accrued  by  another  must  be  paid  by  yourself,  and  all 
the  satisfaction  you  receive  is  that  you  must  "pocket  the  loss," 


28  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


with  the  best  grace  you  can.  Yet,  you  can  learn  a  lesson  of  wis- 
dom from  such  an  event,  which  is,  NEVER  to  do  so  any  more. 
Such  are  the  benefits  of  endorsing,  and  such  will  they  be  till  the 
whole  system  is  abolished. 

3. 

A  SACRED  regard  to  the  principles  of  justice  forms  the  basis  of 
every  transaction,  and  regulates  the  conduct  of  the  upright  man 
of  business.  He  is  strict  in  keeping  his  engagements;  does 
nothing  carelessly,  or  hi  a  hurry;  employs  nobody  to  do  what  he 
can  as  easily  do  himself;  keeps  everything  in  its  proper  place; 
leaves  nothing  undone  which  ought  to  be  done,  and  which  circum- 
stances permitted  him  to  do;  keeps  his  designs  and  business  from 
the  view  of  others;  is  prompt  and  decisive  with  his  customers, 
and  does  not  overtrade  for  his  capital;  prefers  short  credits  to 
long  ones,  and  cash  to  credit  transactions,  at  all  times  when  they 
can  be  advantageously  made,  either  in  buying  or  selling,  and 
small  profits  with  little  risk,  to  the  chance  of  better  gains  with 
more  hazard.  He  is  clear  and  explicit  in  all  his  bargains;  leaves 
nothing  to  the  memory  which  he  can  and  ought  to  commit  to 
writing;  keeps  copies  of  all  important  letters  which  he  sends 
away;  and  has  every  letter,  invoice,  &c.,  belonging  to  his  busi- 
ness, titled,  classed,  and  put  away.  He  never  suffers  his  desk  to 
be  confused  by  many  papers  lying  upon  it;  is  always  at  the  head 
of  his  business,  well  knowing  that  if  he  leaves  it,  it  will  leave 
him;  holds  it  as  a  maxim,  that  he  whose  credit  is  suspected  is 
not  safe  to  be  trusted,  and  is  constantly  examining  his  books,  and 
sees  through  all  his  affairs  as  far  as  care  and  attention  enable 
him;  balances  regularly  at  stated  times,  and  then  makes  out  and 
transmits  all  his  accounts  current  to  his  customers  and  constitu- 
ents, both  at  home  and  abroad;  avoids,  as  much  as  possible,  all 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  29 


sorts  of  accommodations  in  money  matters  and  law  suits,  where 
there  is  the  least  hazard;  is  economical  in  his  expenditures, 
always  living  within  his  income;  keeps  a  memorandum-book  with 
a  pencil  in  his  pocket,  in  which  he  notes  every  little  particular 
relative  to  appointments,  addresses,  and  petty  cash  matters;  is 
cautious  how  he  becomes  security  for  any  person,  and  is  generous 
only  when  urged  by  motives  of  humanity. 

4. 

PRESERVED  FISH  commenced  life  as  an  apprentice  to  a  black- 
smith, and  his  next  situation  was  that  of  a  seaman  on  board  a 
whaling-ship.  From  being  a  hand  before  the  mast,  he  rose  to 
be  a  mate,  and  finally  commander,  and  hi  this  haftirdous  pursuit 
amassed  the  foundation  of  his  fortune.  SAUL  ALLEY  was  bound, 
when  a  small  boy,  apprentice  to  a  coachmaker.  During  his 
apprenticeship  his  father  died,  and  left  him  totally  dependant  on 
his  own  exertions.  The  very  clothes  he  wore  he  was  obliged  to 
earn-by  toiling  extra  hours,  after  the  regular  tune  of  leaving  off 
work  had  passed.  The  foundation  of  his  fortune  he  acquired  by 
the  exercise  of  frugality  and  prudence  while  a  journeyman 
mechanic.  CORNELIUS  W.  LAWRENCE,  at  one  time  Mayor  of 
New  York,  President  of  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
and  Collector  of  the  port,  was  a  farmer's  boy,  and  worked  many 
a  long  day  in  rain  and  sunshine  on  Long  Island.  There  were 
few  lads  within  twenty  miles  of  him  that  could  mow  a  wider 
swath,  or  turn  a  neater  furrow.  These  men  have  been  the 
architects  of  their  own  fortunes;  they  have  earned  them  by  the 
sweat  of  their  brows;  and  their  very  wealth,  besides  the  other 
means  of  doing  good  to  their  fellow-men  which  it  puts  in  their 
power,  is,  in  itself,  a  perpetual  stimulus  to  the  mechanic  and 
artisan  to  earn  a  similar  reward  by  similar  means. 


30  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


5. 

THESE  are  questions  which  all  the  past  have  asked,  and  which 
all  the  future  will  continue  to  inquire.  None  ever  acknowledge 
its  full  attainment.  To  most  the  shadow  of  its  approach  is  never 
visible.  What  is  it  that  every  individual  desires — in  some 
measure,  at  least;  strives  for,  yet  never  finds?  Is  it  a  reality  or 
a  fancy  ? — the  cob  of  corn  fastened  by  a  pole  before  the  donkey, 
which  advances  as  he  advances;  just  before  but  never  reaches, 
but  to  attain  which  he  toils  and  strives? — or  is  it  an  ignus 
fatuus,  which  deludes  by  false  glare  and  brightness,  and  van- 
ishes just  when  reached  ? 

Man  is  so  constituted  that  fatigue  and  disgust  come  with  the 
object  sought*  This  world  conquered,  it  is  thenceforth  worthless, 
and  new  worlds  are  longed  for.  What  was  once  supposed  to  be 
success,  is  found  to  be  of  naught.  The  astronomer  enlarges  his 
instruments  by  his  endeavor  to  examine  an  indistinct  planet;  but 
his  double  telescope  reveals  to  him  new  stars  and  opens  to  him 
new  systems  of  which  he  had  not  before  imagined.  There  is 
always  something  beyond,  and  discontent  in  consequence  will 
always  be  the  lot  of  man. 

At  times  and  hi  certain  cases,  it  is  hard  to  say  what  is  suc- 
cess. Did  Milton  obtain  it  ?  One  of  the  greatest  works  of  man 
was  the  result  of  his  labors.  Posterity  and  futurity  acknowledged 
his  claims,  but  the  present  gave  him  poverty  and  neglect,  and  his 
fate  has  been  that  of  many  since.  Ned  Buntline's  trash  and 
vulgarity  in  yellow  covers  thrives.  Is  that  success  ?  Ik  Mar- 
vel's high-toned  morality  and  elegant  refinement,  with  fine  type 
and  paper,  is  neglected.  How  is  the  question  answered  ? 

One  very  important  requisite  at  the  present  day  is  to  gain  the 
public  attention.  All  ?<-><-m  aware  of  liiis,  although  some  will 
not  descend  to  forcing  it.  Still  it  is  indispensable  that  there  be 


TOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  31 


merit  at  the  bottom,  to  satisfy  after  having  attracted. 
Genin  must  not  be  content  with  turning  the  community  by 
signs  and  paintings  toward  his  warehouse,  or  by  putting  his 
name  and  business  into  the  mouths  of  an  entire  people.  He 
knows  that  now  that  he  is  universally  spoken  of,  it  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  it  be  commendingly,  that  his  merchandise 
be  good  of  its  kind,  and  his  character  unimpeached. 

The  theories  of  to-day  have  grown  up  with  a  mushroom 
rapidity  and  are  eagerly  embraced,  but  tune  shows  that  they 
lack  substance  and  a  true  organized  vitality,  and  subsequent  analy- 
zation  reveals  that  the  thin  froth  raised  up  by  a  rapid  yeast  con- 
tains no  substance,  is  mere  air,  no  better  than  a  soap-bubble 
which  glittered  hi  the  light,  till  the  beams  of  a  sun  rapidly  evap- 
orated it,  and  showed  the  emptinest  within. 

Look  at  the  visions  of  the  past,  the  theories  of  great  thinkers 
and  the  systems  of  philosophers,  once  the  reverenced  opinions  of 
entire  nations,  and  we  now  wonder  how  they  could  have  ever 
been  for  a  moment  credited.  Was  this  success  ? 

And  it  does  not  require  centuries  to  effect  these  changes. 
During  the  few  years  that  have  elapsed  since  the  first  part  of 
this,  till  now  forgotten,  article  was  written,  the  productions  of 
Buntline  have  returned  to  the  vile  dust  from  which  they  sprung, 
while  those  of  Marvel  have  emerged  from  their  obscurity,  and 
now  glitter  with  a  diamond's  resplendence  hi  the  lap  of  beauty. 

Success  is  the  peace  of  mind  which  springs  from  right  impulses 
and  which  promises  a  serene  future.  Peter  Cooper  was  con- 
sidered successful  when  he  had  accumulated  his  hundreds  of 
thousands;  and  when  he  afterward  received  the  grateful  esteem 
of  a  city  and  a  nation.  But  higher  than  all,  his  success  must  be 
found  in  his  internal  sense.  Fire,  war,  and  revolution  may  destroy 
every  trace  of  his  charitable  magnificence,  but  the  growth  of 


32  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 

soul,  heightened  and  stimulated  by  acts  like  his,  cannot  be 
arrested.  This  internal  conviction  is  the  first  shadow  of  true 
success,  which  can  only  have  a  profound  realization  in  the 
Master's  words:  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant;  thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things:  I  will  make  thee  ruler  over 
many  things;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  the  Lord." 

6. 

IT  is  stated  in  Chambers'  Continental  Tour,  that  the  wealth 
which  now  exists  hi  Amsterdam  falls  much  short  of  what  it  was 
previous  to  the  French  revolution,  or  during  the  period  of  Dutch 
commercial  pre-eminence.  It  is  not  long  since  strangers,  in  visit- 
ing Amsterdam,  were  shown  the  spacious  house  of  a  merchant, 
who,  after  lavishing  much  on  furniture  and  painting,  actually 
caused  the  floor  of  one  of  his  apartments  to  be  laid  with  Spanish 
dollars,  set  on  edge.  Whims  equally  ridiculous,  for  disposing  of 
an  overplus  of  wealth,  appear  to  have  been  far  from  uncommon 
in  former  tunes  in  Holland.  A  gentleman  of  my  acquaintance, 
passing  through  Arnheim,  had  his  attention  directed  to  an  old, 
fantastical-looking  dwelling,  concerning  which,  he  gathered  the 
following  historical  reminiscence: — The  original  owner  was  a  Jew 
merchant,  and  he  erected  the  house  out  of  pure  revenge.  His 
coffers  were  so  well  replenished  that  he  was  at  a  loss  how  to  em- 
ploy his  superfluous  cash.  At  last  he  hit  upon  a  fanciful  expe- 
dient. He  determined  to  make  a  pavement  before  his  residence, 
of  large  massive  plates  of  silver,  and  to  surround  it  with  an  orna- 
mental chain,  of  the  same  costly  metal.  Before  carrying  this 
plan  into  effect,  it  behooved  him  to  obtain  the  sanction  of  the 
authorities.  These  worthies,  however,  void  of  sympathy,  set 
their  face  against  a  proposition  which  might  have  compelled 
them  to  increase  the  strength  of  the  town-guard.  Enraged  at 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  33 


their  non-compliance,  Moses  determined  to  punish  them.  He 
ordered  his  dwelling,  situated  in  the  principal  street,  immediately 
to  be  pulled  down,  and  on  its  site  erected  the  one  now  standing. 
It  is  literally  covered  with  diabolical  figures,  amounting,  it  is 
said,  to  three  hundred  and  sixty-five. 

7. 

IN  the  Court  of  Quarter  Sessions,  Philadelphia,  a  jury,  which 
had  been  out  all  night,  in  the  case  of  William  H.  Simpson, 
charged  with  obtaining  money  from  Guthrie  &  Wess,  of  that 
city,  by  false  pretences,  returned  with  a  verdict  of  not  guilty, 
but  they  directed  the  defendant  to  pay  the  costs.  This  case  illus- 
trates the  danger  of  accomplishing  any  object,  even  the  payment 
of  a  just  debt,  by  a  resort  to  trick ;  and  it  would  be  well  to  give 
the  principles  of  law  decided  in  this  case,  in  connection  with  the 
verdict,  for  the  information  of  the  trading  community.  It 
appeared  that  Guthrie  &  West  owed  Simpson,  who  is  a  mer- 
chant in  New  York,  about  $500;  and  the  latter,  in  order  to 
obtain  payment,  sold  the  former  a  lot  of  goods,  and  agreed  to 
consign  them  to  Philadelphia  on  a  new  credit.  The  boxes  sup- 
posed to  contain  the  goods  were  sent  on,  and  the  money  on  the 
old  debt  was  paid  to  Simpson;  but,  on  opening  the  boxes,  Guth- 
rie found  that  they  were  filled  with  charcoal.  It  appears,  also, 
that  Guthrie  had  paid  $36  more  than  he  had  admitted  to  be  due; 
and  it  was  for  the  obtaining  of  this  that  the  prosecution  was  en- 
tered. The  Court,  in  charging  the  jury,  said  that,  no  matter 
how  dishonorable  a  trick  might  be,  yet,  if  it  be  resorted  to  for 
the  payment  of  a  just  debt,  it  did  not  come  under  the  censure  of 
the  law — but  if  the  defendant,  in  resorting  to  the  perilous  means 
of  a  trick,  obtained  money  not  due,  or  more  than  was  owing,  he 
was  guilty  under  the  act  of  Assembly,  and  must  be  convicted. 


34  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


THE  following  observations  are  taken  from  an  address  deliv- 
ered by  the  late  Dr.  CHANNING,  of  Boston,  before  the  Mercantile 
Library  Company  of  Philadelphia,  in  May,  1841: — 

"  Commerce  is  a  noble  calling.  It  mediates  between  distant 
nations,  and  makes  men's  wants,  not,  as  formerly,  stimulants  to 
war,  but  bonds  of  peace.  The  universal  intellectual  activity  of 
which  I  have  spoken  is  due,  in  no  small  degree,  to  commerce, 
which  spreads  the  thoughts,  inventions,  and  writings  of  great 
men  over  the  earth,  and  gathers  scientific  and  literary  men  every- 
where into  an  intellectual  republic.  So  it  carries  abroad  the  mis- 
sionary, the  Bible,  the  cross,  and  is  giving  universality  to  true 
religion.  Gentlemen,  allow  me  to  express  an  earnest  desire  and 
hope,  that  the  merchants  of  this  country  will  carry  on  their  call- 
ing with  these  generous  views.  Let  them  not  pursue  it  for  them- 
selves alone.  Let  them  rejoice  to  spread  improvements  far  and 
wide,  and  to  unite  men  in  more  friendly  ties.  Let  them  adopt 
maxims  of  trade  which  will  establish  general  confidence.  Espe- 
cially in  then*  intercourse  with  less  cultivated  tribes,  let  them  feel 
themselves  bound  to  be  harbingers  of  civilization.  Let  their 
voyages  be  missions  of  humanity,  useful  arts,  science  and  religion. 
It  is  a  painful  thought,  that  commerce,  instead  of  enlightening 
and  purifying  less  privileged  communities,  has  too  often  made  the 
name  of  Christian  hateful  to  them;  has  carried  to  the  savage  not 
our  useful  arts  and  mild  faith,  but  weapons  of  war  and  the  intox- 
icating draught.  I  call  not  on  God  to  smite  with  his  lightnings, 
to  overwhelm  with  his  storms,  the  accursed  ship  which  goes  to 
the  ignorant,  rude  native,  freighted  with  poison  and  death; 
which  goes  to  add  new  ferocity  to  savage  life,  new  licentiousness 
to  savage  sensuality.  I  have  learned  not  to  call  down  fire  from 
heaven.  But,  in  the  name  of  humanity,  of  religion,  of  God,  I 


FOR    MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  35 


implore  the  merchants  of  this  country  not  to  use  the  light  of  a 
higher  civilization  to  corrupt,  to  destroy  our  uncivilized  brethren. 
Brethren  they  are  in  those  rude  huts,  in  that  wild  attire.  ^Estab-) 
lish  with  them  an  intercourse  of  usefulness,  justice  and  charity. 
Before  they  can  understand  the  name  of  Christ,  let  them  see  his 
spirit  in  those  by  whom  it  is  borneJ  It  has  been  said,  that  the 
commerce  of  our  country  is  not  only  corrupting  uncivilized  coun- 
tries, but  that  it  wears  a  deeper,  more  damning  stain;  that,  in 
spite  of  the  laws  of  the  land  and  the  protest  of  nations,  it  some- 
times lends  itself  to  the  slave-trade;  that,  by  its  capital,  and 
accommodations,  and  swift  sailers,  and  false  papers,  and  prosti- 
tuted flag,  it  takes  part  in  tearing  the  African  from  his  home  and 
native  shore,  and  in  dooming  him,  first  to  the  horrors  of  the 
middle  passage,  and  then  to  the  hopelessness  of  perpetual  bond- 
age. Even  on  men  so  fallen,  I  call  down  no  curse.  May  they 
find  forgiveness  from  God  through  the  pains  of  sincere  repent- 
ance; but,  continuing  what  they  are,  can  I  help  shrinking  from 
them  as  among  the  most  infamous  of  their  race  ? 

"  Allow  me  to  say  a  word  to  the  merchants  of  our  country  on 
another  subject.  The  time  is  come  when  they  are  particularly 
called  to  take  yet  more  generous  views  of  their  vocation,  and  to 
give  commerce  a  universality  as  yet  unknown.  I  refer  to  the 
juster  principles  which  are  gaining  ground  on  the  subject  of  free 
trade,  and  to  the  growing  disposition  of  nations  to  promote  it. 
Free  trade! — this  is  the  plain  duty  and  plain  interest  of  the 
human  race.  To  level  all  barriers  to  free  exchange;  to  cut  up 
the  system  of  restriction,  root  and  branch ;  to  open  every  port  on 
earth  to  every  product;  this  is  the  office  of  enlightened  humanity. 
To  this,  a  free  nation  should  especially  pledge  itself.  Freedom 
of  the  seas;  freedom  of  harbors;  an  intercourse  of  nations,  free 
as  the  winds;  this  is  not  a  dream  of  philanthropists.  We  are 


36  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


tending  towards  it,  and  let  us  hasten  it.  Under  a  wiser  and 
more  Christian  civilization,  we  shall  look  back  on  our  present 
restrictions  as  we  do  on  the  swaddling-bands  by  which,  in  darker 
tunes,  the  human  body  was  compressed.  The  growing  freedom 
of  trade  is  another  and  glorious  illustration  of  the  tendency  of 
our  age  to  universality." 

9 

JACOB  BARKER,  for  some  years  a  practising  lawyer  in  New 
Orleans,  appeared  several  years  since  in  his  own  defence  and 
obtained  a  verdict  after  a  long  personal  address  to  the  jury, 
which  appears  to  have  made  also  a  vivid  impression  upon  a  nu- 
merous auditory.  In  reciting  the  chequered  history  of  his  life — 
his  unrivalled  commercial  enterprise — "  that  the  canvass  of  his 
ships  had  whitened  every  sea,  and  that  the  star-spangled  banner 
of  his  country  had  floated  from  the  mast-heads  of  his  ships  in 
every  clime" — his  aid  in  procuring  a  loan  of  $500,000  for  the 
government  during  the  last  war,  &c., — he  said  he  came  to  New 
Orleans  poor,  and  in  debt;  that  he  had  since  made  a  great  deal 
of  money,  and  spent  it  in  the  support  of  his  family  and  the  pay- 
ment of  his  debts  outstanding  in  New  York;  that  all  these  debts 
were  now  settled,  as  was  proved;  and  that  he  owed  nothing  hi 
the  world  at  present  but  one  amount  (on  a  note,  he  believed,) 
of  about  $1,000.  The  Tropic  says,  "  His  vindication  of  his 
reputation  for  benevolence  and  veracity  was  manly  and  exceed- 
ingly eloquent,  and  fully  sustained  by  the  evidence." 

10. 

COMMERCIAL  pursuits  are  attractive  to  the  ambitious.  They 
offer  the  hope  of  wealth,  influence,  ease,  and  a  high  social  stand- 
ing. Consequently,  thousands  of  young  men,  who  ought  to 
remain  in  the  country,  and  cultivate  the  ground,  enter  the  cities 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  37 


every  year,  to  engage  in  trade.  There  is  an  unnecessary  multi- 
plication of  those  who  come  between  the  producer  and  the 
consumer,  adding  nothing  to  the  value  of  the  commodity.  It  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  a  quarter  of  those  now  engaged  hi 
commerce,  hi  our  cities,  could  do  the  work  which  all  do.  Con- 
sequently, the  consumer  is  obliged  to  support  three-quarters  of 
them,  who  are  thus  leading  an  unproductive,  if  not  useless  life. 
A  large  proportion  of  those  in  all  kinds  of  commercial  business, . 
are  sitting  idle  behind  their  counters  a  great  part  of  the  day. 
Where  they  attend  to  fifty  customers,  they  might  as  easily 
attend  to  two  hundred.  But,  as  they  must  be  supported,  it  is 
necessary  for  them,  somehow  or  other,  to  get  as  much  profit  out 
of  their  fifty  customers  as  they  would  otherwise  do  out  of  more. 
Hence  all  the  tricks  of  trade,  the  thousand  deceptions  practised 
upon  the  ignorance  of  the  purchaser,  the  arts  of  puffing,  the 
various  devices  to  attract  buyers;  which,  when  not  absolutely 
dishonest,  are  at  least  unworthy  and  degrading.  Is  it  in  the 
order  of  nature  that  hundreds  of  young  men,  in  the  prime  of  life 
and  strength,  should  stand  behind  the  counter,  doing  woman's 
work  ?  Poor  women,  who  depend  on  their  labor,  are  obliged  to 
toil  half  the  night  at  the  needle,  for  a  miserable  compensation, 
because  the  situations  which  they  ought  to  fill,  in  all  kinds  of 
retail  business,  are  taken  from  them  by  men  who  should  be 
ploughing  the  fields. 

11 

THE  skill  of  a  merchant  or  tradesman  is  exhibited  in  the  com- 
bination of  the  greatest  profit  with  the  least_expense;  and  he 
will  make  the  most  money  who  calmly  looks  from  the  "  begin- 
ning to  the«end,"  rather  than  to  be  attracted  by  any  intermedi- 
ate point,  however  profitable  it  may  appear. 


38  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


12 

IT  is  very  possible  for  a  man  to  act  dishonestly  every  day, 
says  Dimond,  the  merchant  moralist,  and  yet  never  to  defraud 
another  of  a  shilling.  A  merchant  who  conducts  his  business 
partly  or  wholly  with  borrowed  capital  is  not  honest  if  he  endan- 
gers the  loss  of  an  amount  of  property  which,  if  lost,  would  dis- 
able him  from  paying  his  debts.  He  who  possesses  a  thousand 
dollars  of  his  own,  and  borrows  a  thousand  of  some  one  else, 
cannot  virtuously  speculate,  so  extensively  as  that;  if  his  prospects 
should  be  disappointed,  he  would  lose  twelve  hundred.  The 
speculation  is  dishonest,  whether  it  succeeds  or  not:  it  is  risking 
other  men's  property  without  their  consent.  Under  similar  cir- 
cumstances it  is  unjust  not  to  insure.  Perhaps  the  majority  of 
uneusured  traders,  if  their  houses  and  goods  were  burnt,  would 
be  unable  to  pay  their  creditors.  ( The  injustice  consists,  not  in 
the  actual  loss  which  may  be  inflicted  (for  whether  a  fire  happens 
or  not,  the  injustice  is  the  same, )  but  in  endangering  the  infliction 
of  the  lossy/  There  are  but  two  ways  in  which,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  claims  of  rectitude  can  be  satisfied — one  is  by  not 
endangering  the  property,  and  the  other  by  telling  its  actual 
owner  that  it  will  be  endangered,  and  leaving  him  to  incur  the 
risk  or  not  as  he  pleases. 

13 

THERE  are  some  men,  whose  failure  to  succeed  in  h'fe  is  a 
problem  to  others,  as  well  as  themselves.  They  are  industrious, 
prudent  and  economical;  yet,  after  a  long  life  of  striving,  old 
age  finds  them  still  poor.  They  complain  of  ill  luck.  They  say 
fate  is  always  against  them.  But  the  fact  is,  they  miscarry 
because  they  have  mistaken  mere  activity  for  energy.  Con- 
founding two  things  essentially  different,  they  have  supposed 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  39- 


that,  if  they  were  always  busy,  they  would  be  certain  to  be 
advancing  their  fortunes.  They  have  forgotten  that  misdirected 
labor  is  but  a  waste  of  activity.  ^The  person  who  would  succeed 
in  life,  is  like  a  marksman  firing  at  a  target ;  if  his  shots  miss  the 
mark,  they  are  a  waste  of  powder;  to  be  of  any  service  at  all, 
they  must  tell  in  the  bull's  eye  or  near.,'  So  in  the  great  game  of 
life,  what  a  man  does  must  be  made  to  count,  or  it  had  almost  as 
well  been  left  undone.  The  idle  warrior,  cut  from  a  shingle,  who 
fights  the  air  on  the  top  of  a  weather-cock,  instead  of  being 
made  to  turn  some  machine  commensurate  with  his  strength,  is 
not  more  worthless  than  the  merely  active  man,  who,  though 
busy  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  dissipates  his  labor  on  trifles,  when 
he  ought  skilfully  to  concentrate  it  on  some  great  end. 

Every  body  knows  some  one  hi  his  circle  of  acquaintance,  who, 
though  always  active,  has  this  want  of  energy.  The  distemper, 
if  we  may  call  it  such,  exhibits  itself  in  various  ways,  ^"in  some  ( 
cases,  the  man  has  merely  an  executive  faculty,  when  he  should 
have  a  directive  one :  in  other  language,  he  makes  a  capital 
clerk  for  himself,  when  he  ought  to  do  the  thinking  of  the  busi-  / 
ness.y  In  other  cases,  what  is  done,  is  either  not  done  at  the 
right  time,  or  in  the  right  way.  Sometimes,  there  is  no  distinc- 
tion made  between  objects  of  different  magnitudes,  but  as  much 
labor  is  bestowed  on  a  trivial  affair,  as  on  a  matter  of  vast 
moment.  Energy,  correctly  understood,  is  activity  proportioned 
to  the  end.  Napoleon  would  often,  when  on  a  campaign,  remain 
for  days  without  taking  off  his  clothes,  now  galloping  from  point 
to  point,  now  dictating  despatches,  now  studying  maps.  But 
his  periods  of  repose,  when  the  crisis  was  over,  were  generally  as 
protracted  as  his  exertions  had  been.  He  has  been  known  to 
sleep  for  eighteen  hours  on  a  stretch.  Second  rate  men,  your 
slaves  of  tape  and  routine,  while  they  would  fall  short  of  the 


40  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


superhuman  exertions  of  the  great  Emperor,  would  have  thought 
themselves  lost  beyond  hope,  if  they  imitated  what  they  call  his 
indolence.  They  are  capital  illustrations  of  activity,  keeping  up 
their  monotonous  jog-trot  forever,  while  Napoleon,  with  his 
gigantic  industry,  alternating  with  such  apparent  idleness,  is  as 
striking  an  example  of  energy. 

We  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  chronic  indolence,  if  relieved 
occasionally  by  spasmodic  fits  of  industry,  is  to  be  recommended. 
Men  who  have  this  character  run  into  the  opposite  extreme  of 
that  which  we  have  been  stigmatizing,  and  fail  as  invariably  of 
winning  success  in  life.  To  call  their  occasional  periods  of  appli- 
cation, energy,  would  be  a  sad  misnomer.  Such  persons,  indeed, 
are  but  civilized  savages,  so  to  speak,  vagabonds  at  heart  in 
their  secret  hatred  of  work,  and  only  resorting  to  labor  occasion- 
ally, like  the  wild  Indian,  who,  after  lying  for  weeks  about  his 
hut,  is  roused  by  sheer  hunger,  and  starts  off  on  a  hunting  excur- 
sion. Real  energy  is  persevering,  steady,  disciplined.  It  never 
either  loses  sight  of  the  object  to  be  accomplished,  nor  intermits 
its  exertions  while  there  is  a  possibility  of  success.  Napoleon,  in 
the  plains  of  Champagne,  sometimes  fighting  two  battles  in  one 
day,  first  defeating  the  Russians,  and  then  turning  on  the  Aus- 
trians,  is  an  illustration  of  this  energy.  The  Duke  of  Brunswick, 
dawdling  away  precious  time,  when  he  invaded  France,  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  first  revolution,  is  an  example  to  the  contrary. 
Activity  beats  about  a  cover,  like  an  untrained  dog,  never  light- 
ing on  the  covey.  Energy  goes  straight  to  the  bird. 

14 

THE  late  Samuel  Ward  told  an  elderly  lady  still  living,  who 
questioned  him,  while  yet  a  lad,  as  to  what  he  meant  to  be  ; 
his  prompt  reply  was,  "  I  mean  to  be  one  of  the  first  bankers  in  the 
United  States."  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  he  succeeded. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  41 


15. 

THE  distinction  made  between  the  man  of  business  and  the 
business  man,  by  the  Merchant,  (a  weekly  sheet,  published  at 
Philadelphia,)  is  a  good  one — a  distinction  with  a  difference  too 
palpable  to  be  gainsayed  or  denied: — 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  confound  these  two  characters  as  is 
frequently  done,  by  the  thoughtless  and  unreflecting,  f  The  differ- 
ence between  them  is  the  difference  between  the  man  who  ascends 
the  ladder  of  fortune  with  a  quick,  lithe,  and  easy  step,  and 
he  who  is  always  attempting  to  climb  and  never  gets  beyond  the 
first  round  or  two  of  the  ascent  j  And  how  many  of  this  latter 
class  do  we  see — the  men  of  business  who  are  always  standing  at 
the  bottom  looking  upward/yet  never  put  their  hands  and  feet 
to  the  work.  >  They  don't  exercise  the  business  talent  and  en- 
ergies which  they  possess,  but  fold  their  hands  and  stand  spell- 
bound, while  the  man  of  quick,  lively,  and  venturesome  parts, 
( takes  hold  and  mounts  up,)  securing  a  firm  grasp  upon  each 
round  of  the  ladder  as  he  fearlessly  and  rapidly  advances  in  the 
upward  way  of  fortune.  But  we  will  endeavor  to  give  a 
more  definite  explanation  of  the  difference  between  these  two 
classes. 

The  man  of  business  and  the  business  man  both  have  business 
to  do;  but  the  business  man  is  the  one  who  does  it.  The  busi- 
ness man  thinks,  moves,  acts,  and  makes  himself  felt  in  the 
world.  If  a  thought  comes  into  his  head  it  is  one  of  breadth 
and  compass — it  don't  center  on  self  and  its  narrow  world.  It 
reaches  away  and  embraces  others.  It  has  a  wide  range,  and 
does  not  stop  till  it  touches  and  affects  for  good  the  interests  of 
all.  Nor  are  the  thoughts  of  such  men  immobile.  They  become 
acting,  living  realities  hi  the  wide  and  busy  world.  The  authors 
of  them  make  of  these  business  thoughts,  actualities — give  them 


42  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


"local  habitation  and  a  name,"  and  steamboats  are  built,  an 
ocean  is  navigated,  and  distant  climes  and  nations  brought  to- 
gether; an  electric  telegraph  springs  into  being  as  by  enchant 
ment,  and  lightning  becomes  garrulous  and  voluble,  and  thought 
out-travels  the  winged  winds;  and  in  a  twinkling,  the  bands  and 
schackles  of  trade  are  loosened.  Such  are  the  workings  produced 
by  the  business  man.  He  awakens  the  drowsy  and  helpless 
multitudes,  puts  life  and  thought,  energy  and  action  into  them, 
and  makes  the  world  leap  rejoicing  along  the  path  of  ages. 
Where  its  step  before  was  but  a  single  year,  now  it  strides  by 
scores  and  fifties. 

"  Men  of  thought,  men  of  action, 
Clear  the  way." 

And  they  do  dear  the  way — their  thoughts  become  tangible, 
moving,  demolishing  forces,  that  break  down  and  crush  all 
opposing  barriers,  opening  a  pathway  of  progress,  into  which  the 
more  sluggish  and  timid  portion  of  humanity  may  securely  travel. 
But  the  man  of  business  is  emphatically  what  the  name  indicates. 
His  business  is  always  on  his  hands.  He  don't  do  it.  He  don't 
know  how  to  go  to  work  in  the  right  way.  His  thoughts  are  all 
measured  and  slow.  He  weighs  self-made  doubts  and  supposed 
contingencies,  and  before  he  moves  the  business  man  gets  up  and 
runs  away  from  him  and  wins  the  race.  The  man  of  business 
won't  go  ahead,  he  only  eddies  round  and  round — he  don't  "  pro- 
gress"— his  path  is  a  circle.  He  don't  find  himself  at  night 
many  miles  on  his  journey's  way,  but  like  the  hour  hand  of  a 
clock  just  where  he  started.  He  is  not  clear  and  decided  in 
what  he  does,  but  often  stands  hesitating  and  puzzled.  He  ven- 
tures and  falls  back;  has  a  stout  heart  in  fancy,  but  none 
in  fad.  Such  a  man  may  get  a  living — he  may  even  help  others 
to  live,  but  the  throbbing  heart  of  the  great  world  will  not 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AN'D    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  43 


be  accelerated  by  his  presence  nor  his  work.     Thus  you  will  per- 
ceive that  a  man  of  business  is  not  necessarily  a  business  man. 

"  Act — act  in  the  living  present, 
Man  within,  and  God  o'er  head." 

16. 

THERE  is  no  greater  mistake  that  a  business  man  can  make, 
than  to  be  mean  in  his  business.  Always  taking  the  half 
cent,  and  never  returning  a  cent  for  the  dollars  he  has  made  and 
is  making.  Such  a  policy  is  very  much  like  the  fanner's  who 
sows  three  pecks  of  seed  when  he  ought  to  have  sown  five, 
and  as  a  recompense  for  the  leanness  of  his  soul  only  gets  ten 
when  he  might  have  got  fifteen  bushels  of  grain. 

Everybody  has  heard  of  the  proverb  of  "  penny  wise  and 
pound  foolish."  A  liberal  expenditure  in  the  way  of  business  is 
always  sure  to  be  a  capital  investment.  There  are  people  in  the 
world  who  are  short-sighted  enough  to  believe  that  their  interest 
can  be  best  promoted  "by  grasping  and  clinging  to  all  they  can 
get,  and  never  letting  a  cent  slip  through  their  fingers. 

As  a  general  thing,  it  will  be  found — other  things  being  equal 
— that  he  who  is  most  liberal  is  most  successful  in  business.  Of 
course  we  do  not  mean  it  to  be  inferred  that  a  man  should  be 
prodigal  in  his  expenditures;  but  that  he  should  show  to  his 
customers,  if  he  is  a  trader,  or  to  those  whom  he  may  be  doing 
any  kind  of  business  with,  that,  in  all  his  transactions,  as  well  as 
social  relations,  he  acknowledges  the  everlasting  fact  that 
there  can  be  no  permanent  prosperity  or  good  feeling  in  a 
community  where  benefits  are  not  reciprocal. 

We  know  of  instances  where  traders  have  enjoyed  the  profits 
of  hundreds  of  dollars'  worth  of  trade,  and  yet  have  exhibited 
not  the  slightest  disposition  to  reciprocate  even  to  the  smallest 


44  MAXIMS.    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


amount.  Now,  what  must  necessarily  follow  from  such  a  course  ? 
Why,  simply  the  loss  of  large  profits  per  annum,  in  the  loss  of 
trade,  which,  under  a  more  liberal  system,  might  have  been 
retained. 

The  practice  of  some  men  seems  to  be,  to  make  as  little  show 
in  the  way  of  business  as  possible.  Such  a  one,  if  a  trader, 
takes  no  pains  with  the  appearance  of  his  store.  Everything 
around  him  is  in  a  worn-out,  delapidated,  dirty  condition.  To 
have  it  otherwise  it  would  cost  a  dollar  for  whitewash,  and 
perhaps  five  for  painting,  and  a  few  dollars  besides  for  cleaning 
up  and  putting  things  in  order.  And  so  he  plods  on  and 
loses  hundreds  of  dollars'  worth  of  custom  for  the  want  of 
attention  to  these  matters,  while  his  more  sagacious  neighbor, 
keeping  up  with  the  tipies,  and  having  an  eye  to  appearances, 
does  a  prosperous  business. 

Another  will  spend  no  money  in  any  way  to  make  business  for 
fear  he  should  not  get  it  back  again.  Consequently  he  sends  out 
no  circulars,  distributes  no  handbills,  publishes  no  advertisements ; 
but  sits  down  croaking  about  the  hard  times — moaning  over  the 
future  prospect  of  notes  to  pay,  no  money,  and  no  trade;  and 
comes  out,  just  where  he  might  expect  to  come — short,  while  his 
neighbor,  following  in  a  different  track,  doing  all  that  is  neces- 
sary to  be  done  to  make  business,  has  business;  isn't  short,  but 
has  money  to  loan;  and  it  would  be  just  like  him  to  get  twelve 
per  cent,  perhaps  more,  for  the  use  of  it;  and  we  should  not 
blame  him  for  so  doing. 

The  fact  is,  times  have  changed.  The  manner  of  doing  busi- 
ness is  different  now,  from  what  it  used  to  be.  It  would  be  just 
as  foolish  to  insist  upon  doing  business  now,  in  the  old-fashioned 
way,  as  it  would  be  to  insist  upon  traveling  with  an  ox-team  in- 
stead of  by  railroad;  to  get  news  by  old-fashioned  stages  instead 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  45 


of  having  it  brought  by  the  lightning  telegraph.  The  times 
demand  men  of  enlarged,  liberal,  energetic  souls — men  who  will 
keep  up  with  the  world  as  it  goes;  men  of  hearts  too,  who 
not  only  desire  to  go  ahead  themselves,  but  take  pleasure  in  see- 
ing others  .succeed;  and  who  have  public  spirit  enough  to  do 
something  for,  and  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  the  people. 

17. 

IN  the  first  place,  make  up  your  mind  to  accomplish  whatever 
you  undertake;  decide  upon  some  particular  employment  and 
persevere  in  it.  All  difficulties  are  overcome  by  .diligence  and 
assiduity.  Be  not  afraid  to  work  with  your  own  hands,  and  dil- 
igently too.  "'A  cat  in  gloves  catches  no  mice."  Attend  to 
your  own  business,  and  never  trust  it  to  another.  "  A  pot  that 
belongs  to  many  is  ill  stirred  and  worse  boiled."  Be  frugal. 
"  That  which  will  not  make  a  pot  will  make  a  pot  lid."  Be  ab- 
stemious. "  Who  dainties  love  shall  beggars  prove."  Rise  early. 
"The  sleeping  fox  catches  no  poultry."  Treat  everyone  with 
respect  and  civility.  "  Everything  is  gained  and  nothing  lost  by 
courtesy."  Good  manners  insure  success.  Never  anticipate 
wealth  from  any  other  source  than  labor.  "He  who  waits 
for  dead  men's  shoes  may  have  to  go  for  a  long  tune  barefoot." 
And,  above  all  things,  "Nil  desperandum,"  for  "  Heaven  helps 
those  who  help  themselves."  If  you  implicitly  follow  these  pre- 
cepts, nothing  can  hinder  you  from  accumulating. 

18. 

A  MERCHANT  ought  to  acquire  and  maintain  an  easiness  of 
manner,  a  suavity  of  address,  and  a  gentlemanly  deportment; 
without  which  the  finest  talents  and  the  most  valuable  mental 
acquirements  are  often  incapable  of  realizing  the  brilh'ant  expec- 
tations which  they  induce  then*  possessor  to  form. 


46  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


19. 

THE  following  notice  of  a  distinguished  merchant  of  Boston, 
was  furnished  by  J.  S.  SLEEPER,  Esq.,  an  old  shipmaster  in  the 
employ  of  "  Billy  Gray,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  and  after- 
wards editor  of  the  "Mercantile  Journal." 

WILLIAM  GRAY,  by  his  successful  mercantile  career,  well 
illustrated  the  truth  of  the  homely  adage,  "  Honesty  is  the  best 
policy."  His  ships  were  found  in  every  sea,  deeply  laden  with 
the  products  of  every  country.  Although  bold  in  his  specu- 
lations, he  was  prudent  in  his  calculations — and  fortune  smiled 
upon  his  undertakings.  But  William  Gray  was,  emphatically, 
an  honest  man.  Not  a  dollar  of  his  immense  wealth  was  acquired 
by  violating,  directly  or  indirectly,  the  laws  of  any  country. 
Having,  on  a  number  of  occasions,  had  charge  of  large 
amounts  of  property  belonging  to  him,  we  have  had  abundant 
opportunities  of  knowing  the  manner  in  which  he  transacted  his 
commercial  operations — and  we  have  often  had  occasion  to  ad- 
inire  the  stern  integrity  which  formed  a  prominent  feature  in 
his  character. 

"  The  agents  or  shipmasters  whom  he  employed,  were  always 
cautioned,  in  the  plainest  language,  against  infringing,  in  the 
slightest  degree,  upon  the  revenue  laws  of  any  nation — and  if  it 
came  to  his  knowledge  that  his  orders,  in  this  particular,  had  not 
been  strictly  obeyed,  even  if  the  departure  from  the  straight  line 
of  ra;titude  had  been  dictated  solely  by  the  desire  of  the  captain 
or  supercargo  to  promote  the  interest  of  his  employer,  the 
oflfcD  !er  was  promptly  dismissed  with  disgrace  from  his  service. 
And  this  was  but  a  part  of  the  system  of  integrity  which  enter- 
ed in  M  all  his  actions — and  which  should  always  constitute  the 
basis  of  the  character  of  a  mercantile  man." 
. 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  4t 


20. 

IN  giving  credit,  there  should  be  caution  without  mistrust;  and 
when  debts  are  contracted  with  parties  that  become  embarrassed 
in  their  circumstances,  it  is  often  of  great  importance  for  the 
creditor  to  be  indulgent  without  negligence,  and  firm  without  rigor. 
When  a  tradesman  is  in  the  habit  of  giving  credit  to  any  extent, 
and  his  capital  is  limited,  it  follows,  of  necessity,  that  he  must 
also  take  credit  himself.  Here  we  see  the  evil  of  the  system. 
To  preserve  his  own  character,  he  must,  of  course,  make  good 
his  payments  on  the  very  day  whereon  they  become  due;  whereas, 
his  customers  only  pay  their  debts  when  it  suits  them,  and  very 
frequently  not  at  all !  It  is  not  my  intention  to  go  fully  into  the 
question  of  the  pernicious  system  of  credit,  seeing  that,  in  some 
cases,  it  must  be  given;  but  I  warn  all  tradesmen  from  trusting 
any  but  those  whom  they  know  to  be  respectable  and  honorable 
people.  A  man  who  does  "a  cash"  business  to  the  amount  of 
five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  is  doing  better  than  he  who 
sells  on  credit  five  thousand  dollars  at  the  risk  of  losing  one 
half  of  the  amount  by  bad  debts. 

21. 

IT  is  essential  to  the  success  of  a  retail  tradesman,  to  estabh'sh 
himself  hi  some  leading  thoroughfare.  A  store  with  a  spacious 
double  window  is  very  desirable,  if  it  can  be  obtained,  as  it 
admits  of  variety  and  display.  In  selecting  a  house,  always  bear 
hi  mind  that  "  a  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss."  Hundreds  of 
tradesmen  have  been  wrecked  upon  the  postulate,  "this  will  do 
for  THE  PRESENT."  The  "  present"  is  always  the  golden  moment 
of  your  life.  Clutch  it  with  a  firm  grasp.  Fix  upon  premises  hi 
which  you  may  stay  as  long  as  you  live.  Recollect  there  is  much 
truth  in  the  assertion,  that  "  three  removes  are  as  bad  as  a  fire." 

Having  obtained  the  store  you  want,  do  not  put  an  article 


48  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


into  it,  until  you  have  secured  a  lease  of  it.  No  one  should  be  a 
tenant  at  will.  If  by  care  and  attention  to  business,  you  make  a 
stand  more  valuable  than  before,  it  will  be  the  "will"  of  the 
landlord  that  you  turn  out — and  unless  you  are  pretty  certain  of 
doing  this,  you  can  have  no  object  in  taking  a  store  at  all. 
Steady  improvement  in  a  retail  business  is  invariably  local.  He 
who  employs  years  of  his  tune  in  forming  and  consolidating  a 
valuable  connection,  would  be  esteemed  a  madman  to  remove 
from  the  situation  that  gave  birth  to  it  to  another  where  it  would 
be  lost;  and  yet  the  non-possession  of  a  lease  of  the  place  you 
occupy,  will  very  frequently  accomplish  the  same  end.  In  a 
word,  if  your  business  depends  upon  customers,  get  them  and 
keep  them  by  staying  where  you  are.  Do  not  listen  to  the  advice 
which  certain  officious  friends  and  foolish  people  are  continually 
in  the  habit  of  offering  without  consideration.  "Don't  hamper 
yourself  with  a  lease,"  say  they ;  which,  being  interpreted 
into  anything  intelligible,  means — "Don't,  secure  the  only  meana 
of  security."  A  lease  to  a  tradesman,  is  what  an  anchor  is  to  a 
ship — the  only  hold  fast  to  be  relied  on. 

22. 

THE  Hon.  EDWARD  EVERETT,  hi  his  memoir  of  the  late  PETER 
CHARDON  BROOKS  (in  "Lives  of  American  Merchants,  eminent  for 
Integrity,  Industry,  Energy,  Enterprize  and  Success  in  Life,") 
thus  portrays  the  character  of  the  wise  merchant  and  the  upright 
man  : — 

"Mr.  Brooks  was  eminent  among  that  class  of  men,  who, 
without  playing  a  dazzling  part  on  the  stage  of  life,  form  the 
great  conservative  element  of  society  ;  men  who  oppose  the 
modest  and  unconscious  resistance  of  sound  principle  and  virtuous 
example  to  those  elements  of  instability,  which  are  put  in  motion 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  49 


by  the  ambitious,  the  reckless,  the  visionary,  and  the  corrupt. 
His  conservatism,  however,  was  liberal  and  kindly;  it  partook  in 
no  degree  of  bigoted  attachment  to  the  past;  it  was  neither 
morose  nor  dictatorial.  On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Brooks  moved 
gently  along  with  the  current  of  the  times,  fully  comprehending 
the  character  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  of  the  country  of 
which  he  was  a  citizen.  Personal  experience  had  taught  him 
that  it  was  an  age  and  a  country  of  rapid  improvement  and  pro- 
gress. He  recognized  this  as  the  law  of  our  social  existence,  and 
did  all  in  the  power  of  a  man  in  private  life  to  promote  it.  He 
was  never  heard  to  speak  of  the  present  times  hi  terms  of  dispar- 
agement as  compared  with  former  times;  and  notwithstanding 
his  great  stake  in  the  public  prosperity,  he  always  looked  upon 
the  bright  side,  in  those  junctures  of  affairs  which  most  severely 
affected  the  business  of  the  country.  His  equanimity  was  never 
shaken,  nor  his  hopeful  spirit  clouded.  He  was  never  care-worn, 
taciturn,  or  austere;  but  always  discreetly  affable,  cheerful  him- 
self, and  the  source  of  cheerfulness  to  others. 

"  Moderation  was  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  single  trait 
in  his  character,  because  practised  under  circumstances  in  which 
it  is  most  rarely  exhibited.  Possessing  the  amplest  facilities  for 
acquisition,  he  was  moderate  in  the  pursuit  of  wealth.  This 
moderation  was  founded  on  a  principle  which  carried  him  much 
farther  than  mere  abstinence  from  the  licensed  gambling  of 
the  stock  exchange.  He  valued  property  because  it  gives  inde- 
pendence. For  that  reason,  he  would  neither  be  enslaved  to  its 
pursuit,  nor  harassed  by  putting  it  at  risk.  At  the  most  active 
period  of  life,  he  never  stepped  beyond  the  line  of  a  legitimate 
business.  He  often,  with  playful  humility,  said  that  "he  prefer- 
red to  keep  in  shoal  water,"  not  because  the  water  was  shallow, 

but  because  he  knew  exactly  how  deep  it  was.    The  same 

3 


50  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


moderation  which  restrained  him  in  the  pursuit,  contented  him 
in  the  measure.  As  we  have  seen  above,  he  retired  from  active 
business  in  the  prime  of  early  manhood,  with  what  would  be 
thought  at  this  day  a  bare  independence  for  a  growing 
family.  His  written  memoranda  show  that  he  did  this,  with 
no  plans  for  the  increase  of  his  property,  by  other  courses 
of  business  ; — but  from  a  feeling  that  he.  had  enough  for 
the  reasonable  wants  of  himself  and  family,  and  the  apprehension 
that,  in  the  event  of  his  sudden  decease,  their  interests  would  be 
greatly  endangered  by  the  continued  expansion  of  his  affairs. 
These  surely  are  not  motives  which  usually  actuate  a  man  of 
ardent  temperament — for  such  he  was  by  nature — at  the  age  of 
thirty-six,  and  with  all  human  prospects  of  a  long  and  successful 
career. 

"  Born  and  brought  up  in  straightened  circumstances,  frugality 
was  a  necessity  of  his  early  years;  and,  as  far"  as  his  personal 
expenditure  was  concerned,  continued  to  be  the  habit  of  his  life. 
For  this  he  had  many  reasons,  besides  the  force  of  second  nature. 
He  had  no  leisure  for  the  wasteful  pleasures  which  consume  time; 
no  taste  for  luxurious  personal  indulgences.  Health  he  consid- 
ered too  costly  a  blessing  to  be  fooled  away.  Temperate  in  all 
things,  but  rigidly  abstaining  from  none  of  which  the  moderate 
use  consists  with  virtue  and  health,  he  passed  through  life  with- 
out imposing  upon  himself  ascetic  restraints; — a  stranger  to  the 
pains  or  languor  of  disease.  He  was  an  early  riser  throughout 
the  year.  A  great  friend  of  cold  water  inwardly  and  outwardly, 
before  hydropathy  or  total  abstinence  were  talked  of,  he  did  not 
condemn  a  temperate  glass  of  wine  after  they  became  the  ruling 
fashion  of  the  day. 

"Though  exact  in  the  management  of  his  property  and  in  all 
business  relations  which  grew  out  of  it,  (and  without  this,  large 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  51 


fortunes  can  neither  be  accumulated  nor  kept,)  he  was  without 
ostentation  liberal,  and  on  proper  occasions  munificent  in  its  use. 
The  passion  for  accumulation  is  in  its  nature  as  distinct  and 
strong  as  its  rival  political  ambition,  and  like  that  is  very  apt  to 
increase  with  its  gratification,  and  especially  with  years;  but  the 
reverse  was  the  case  with  Mr.  Brooks.  His  willingness  to  impart 
increased  as  he  advanced  in  life.  His  donations  to  others,  in  no 
way  conriected  with  himself,  exceeded,  for  a  long  course  of  years, 
his  expenditure  in  the  support  of  his  family,  and  this  without 
reckoning  large  sums  given  for  single  public  objects.  He  was  a 
liberal  and  discriminating  supporter  of  every  benevolent  institu- 
tion, and  every  public-spirited  object;  and  often  gave  tune  and 
counsel  when  they  were  more  important  than  money.  He  gave, 
however,  as  he  did  everything  else,  without  parade;  and,  as 
appears  from  his  books,  annually  expended  considerable  sums 
known  at  the  time  only  to  Hun  that  seeth  in  secret. 

"And  this  remark  leads,  by  natural  transition,  to  the  last  with 
which  we  shall  detain  the  reader,  viz. :  that  his  liberality,  like  the 
other  traits  of  his  character,  was  connected  with  an  unaffected 
sense  of  religious  duty.  Although  sparing  of  outward  demon- 
stration in  all  things,  he  embraced,  with  a  lively  and  serious  con- 
viction, the  great  truths  of  the  Christian  revelation.  He  was  a 
punctual  and  respectful  observer  of  the  external  duties  of  reli- 
»gion;  an  unfailing  attendant  on  public  worship;  a  regular  com- 
municant; an  habitual  and  devout  reader  of  the  Bible.  He  had 
a  general  knowledge  of  doctrinal  distinctions;  but  took  no  inter- 
est in  the  metaphysics  of  theology.  His  faith  was  principally 
seen  in  his  life;  and  even  his  business  journal  is  interspersed  with 
reflections,  which  show  a  mind  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of 
religious  duty  to  God  and  man." 


52  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANYS 


23. 

THE  maxim  "  all  is  not  gold  that  glitters,"  if  not  purely  Eng- 
lish in  its  origin  and  application,  is  at  all  events  not  recognized 
in  France.  In  the  latter  kingdom  the  reputation  of  a  man  for 
wealth  is  about  in  proportion  to  his  display  of  it.  A  showy  house 
of  business,  and  an  elegant  style  of  living,  indicating  that  the 
proprietor  has  abundance  of  wealth  himself,  are  essential  perqui- 
sites to  his  being  intrusted  with  the  property  of  others.  The 
contrast  which  prevails  to  this  state  of  things  in  England,  is  stri- 
kingly illustrated  by  an  incident  related  in  the  Edinburgh 
Review.  A  retired  merchant  of  enormous  fortune,  living  in 
great  seclusion,  is  said  to  have  kept  his  account  with  a  banking 
firm  headed  by  a  baronet.  His  balance  in  the  bank  was  gener- 
ally from  thirty  to  forty  thousand  pounds,  and  the  baronet 
deemed  it  only  a  proper  attention  to  so  valuable  a  customer  to 
invite  him  to  dinner  at  his  villa  in  the  country.  The  splendor  of 
the  banquet,  to  which  the  old  man  reluctantly  repaired,  impelled 
him  on  his  entrance  to  apologize  to  his  host  for  subjecting  the 
latter  to  so  much  inconvenience.  The  baronet  reph'ed  that,  on 
the  contrary,  it  was  incumbent  on  him  to  apologize,  for  taking 
the  liberty  of  asking  his  guest  to  partake  of  a  family  dinner. 
Nothing  further  passed,  but  the  next  morning  the  customer  drew 
his  whole  balance  out  of  the  bank. 

24. 

THE  Hon.  CHARLES  SDMNER,  by  invitation  of  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association  of  Boston,  delivered  on  the  evening  of  the 
13th  of  November,  1854,  an  introductory  address  to  one  of  the 
annual  courses  of  lectures  of  that  Association.  The  address 
gives  Mr.  Sumner's  views  in  regard  to  the  "  Position  and  Duties 
of  the.  Merchant,"  but  is  mainly  devoted  to  "the  career  of  a 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND  MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  53 


remarkable  man  (Granville  Sharp)  whose  simple  life,  beginning 
as  the  apprentice  to  a  linen  draper,  and  never  getting  beyond  a 
clerkship,  shows  what  may  be  accomplished  by  faithful  humble 
labors,  and  reveals  precisely  those  qualities  which,  in  this  age, 
are  needed  to  crown  the  character  of  the  Good  Merchant." 

In  the  paragraphs  we  transfer  to  our  "Maxims,  Morals,  and 
Miscellanies"  we  do  not  tread  on  forbidden  ground. 

"  '  Every  man  owes  a  debt  to  his  profession,'  was  a  saying  of 
Lord  Bacon,  repeated  by  his  cotemporary  and  rival,  Lord  Coke. 
But  it  does  not  tell  the  whole  truth.  It  restrains,  within  the 
narrow  circle  of  a  profession,  obligations  which  are  broad  and 
universal  as  humanity.  Rather  should  it  be  said  that  every  man 
owes  a  debt  to  mankind.  In  determining  the  debt  of  the  mer- 
chant, we  must  first  appreciate  his  actual  position  in  the  social 
system  ;  and  here  let  us  glance  at  history. 

"  At  the  dawn  of  modem  tunes  trade  was  unknown.  There 
was  nothing  then  like  a  policy  of  insurance,  a  bank,  a  bill  of 
exchange,  or  even  a  promissory  note.  The  term  "  chattels,"  so 
comprehensive  in  its  present  application,  yet  when  considered  in 
its  derivation  from  the  Latin  cataUa,  reveals  the  narrow  inven- 
tory of  personal  property  in  those  days,  when  'two  hundred 
sheep'  were  paid  by  a  pious  Countess  of  Anjou  for  a  coveted 
volume  of  homilies.  The  places  of  honor  and  power  were  then 
occupied  by  men  who  had  distinguished  themselves  by  the  sword, 
and  were  known  under  the  various  names  of  knight,  baron, 
count,  or — highest  of  all — Duke,  Dux,  the  leader  in  war. 

"Under  these  influences  the  feudal  system  was  organized, 
with  its  hierarchy  of  ranks,  in  mutual  relations  of  dependence 
and  projection  ;  and  society  for  a  while  rested  in  its  shadow 
The  steel-clad  chiefs,  who  enjoyed  power,  had  a  corresponding 
responsibility  ;  and  the  mingled  gallantry  and  gentleness  of  chiv- 


54  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


airy  often  controlled  the  iron  hand.  It  was  the  dukes  who  led 
the  forces;  it  was  the  counts  or  earls  who  placed  themselves  at 
the  head  of  their  respective  counties;  it  was  the  knights  who 
went  forth  to  do  battle  with  danger,  in  whatever  form,  whether 
from  robbers  or  wild  beasts.  It  was  the  barons  at  Rurinymede 
— there  was  no  merchant  there — who  extorted  from  King  John 
that  Magna  Charta  which  laid  the  corner-stone  of  English  and 
American  liberty. 

"In  America  feudalism  never  prevailed,  and  our  revolution 
severed  the  only  cord  by  which  we  were  connected  with  this 
ancient  system.  It  was  fit  that  the  Congress  which  performed 
this  memorable  act  should  have  for  its  President  a  merchant. 
It  was  fit  that,  in  promulgating  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
by  which,  in  the  face  of  kings,  princes,  and  nobles;  the  new  era  was 
inaugurated,  the  education  of  the  counting-house  should  flaunt 
conspicuously  in  the  broad  and  clerkly  signature  of  John  Han- 
cock. Our  fathers  "  builded  wiser  than  they  knew;"  and  these 
things  are  typical  of  the  social  change  then  taking  place.  And 
by  yet  another  act,  fresh  in  your  recollection,  and  of  peculiar 
interest  in  this  assembly,  has  our  country  borne  the  same  testi- 
mony. A  distinguished  merchant  of  Boston,  who  has  ascended 
through  all  the  gradations  of  trade,  honored  always  for  his 
private  virtues  as  well  as  public,  abih'ties — I  may  mention  the 
name  of  Abbott  Lawrence — has  been  sent  to  the  Court  of  St. 
James  as  the  ambassador  of  our  republic,  and  with  that  proud 
commission,  higher  than  any  patent  of  nobility,  has  taken  prece- 
dence of  the  nobles  of  that  ancient  realm.  In  this  circumstance 
I  see  the  triumph  of  personal  merit,  but  still  more,  the  consum- 
mation of  a  new  epoch. 

Yes,  sir!  say  what  you  will,  this  is  the  day  of  the  merchant. 
As  in  the  early  ages,  war  was  the  great  concern  of  society,  and 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  55 


the  very  pivot  of  power,  so  is  trade  now ;  and  as  the  feudal  chiefs 
were  the  "  notables"  placed  at  the  very  top  of  their  time,  so  are 
the  merchants  now.  All  things  attest  the  change.  "W  ;j*,  which 
was  once  the  universal  business,  is  now  confined  to  r  few;  once 
a  daily  terror,  it  is  now  the  accident  of  an  age.  Not  for  adven- 
tures of  the  sword,  but  for  trade  do  men  descend  upon  the  sea  in 
ships,  and  traverse  broad  continents  on  iron  pathways.  Not  for 
protection  against  violence,  but  for  trade,  do  men  come  together 
in  cities  and  rear  the  marvelous  superstructures  of  social  order. 
If  they  go  abroad,  or  if  they  stay  at  home,  it  is  trade  that  con- 
trols them,  without  distinction  of  persons.  And  here  in  our 
country  every  man  is  a  trader.  The  physician  trades  his  benevo- 
lent care;  the  lawyer  trades  his  ingenious  tongue;  the  clergy- 
man trades  his  prayers.  And  trade  summons  from  the  quarry 
the  choicest  marble  and  granite  to  build  its  capacious  homes,  and 
now,  in  our  own  city,  displays  warehouses  which  outdo  the 
baronial  castle,  and  salesrooms  which  outdo  the  ducal  palace. 
With  these  magnificent  applicances,  the  relations  of  dependence 
and  protection,  which  marked  the  early  feudalism,  are  repro- 
duced in  the  more  comprehensive  feudalism  of  trade.  Even  now 
there  are  European  bankers  who  vie  hi  power  with  the  dukes 
and  princes  of  other  days,  and  there  are  traffickers  every  where, 
whose  title  comes  from  the  ledger  and  not  the  sword,  fit  succes- 
sors to  counts,  barons,  and  knights.  As  the  feudal  chief  allo- 
cated to  himself  and  his  followers  the  soil,  which  was  the  prize  of 
his  strong  arm,  so  now  the  merchant,  with  a  grasp  more  subtile 
and  reaching,  allocates  to  himself  and  followers,  ranging  through 
multitudinous  degrees  of  dependence,  all  the  spoils  of  every  land, 
triumphantly  won  by  trade.  I  would  not  press  this  parallel  too 
far,  but,  at  this  moment,  especially  in  OUT  country,  the  merchant, 
more  than  any  other  character,  stands  in  the  very  boots  of  the 


56  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AtfD    MISCELLANIES 


feudal  chief.  Of  all  pursuits  or  relations,  his  is  now  the  most 
extensive  and  formidable,  making  all  others  its  tributaries,  and 
bending  at  times  even  the  lawyer  and  the  clergyman  to  be  its 
dependent  stipendiaries. 

"  Such  in  our  social  system  is  the  merchant;  and  on  this  pre- 
cise and  incontrovertible  statement  I  found  his  duties.  Wealth, 
power,  and  influence  are  not  for  self-indulgence  merely,  and  just 
according  to  their  extent  are  the  obligations  to  others  which 
they  impose.  If,  by  the  rule  of  increase,  to  him  that  hath  is  given, 
so  in  the  same  degree  new  duties  are  superadded;  nor  can  any 
man  escape  from  their  behests.  If  the  merchant  be  in  reality 
our  feudal  lord,  he  must  render  feudal  service  ;  if  he  be  our 
modern  knight,  he  must  do  knightly  deeds;  if  he  be  the  baron  of 
our  day,  let  him  maintain  baronial  charity  to  the  humble — ay, 
sir,  and  baronial  courage  against  tyrannical  wrong,  in  whatsoever 
form  it  may  assume.  But  even  if  I  err  in  attributing  to  him 
this  peculiar  position,  I  do  not  err  in  attributing  to  him  these 
duties;  for  his  influence  is  surely  great,  and  he  is  at  least  a  man 
bound  by  his  simple  manhood  to  regard  nothing  human  as  for- 
eign to  his  heart." 

25. 

THERE  is  not  a  more  honorable  or  a  more  useful  member  of 
society  than  a  Good  Merchant.  And  there  is,  perhaps,  no  occu- 
pation in  life  which  has  been  more  exalting  in  its  influences,  ever 
since  the  time  when,  of  old,  "Merchants  were  Princes" — as 
princes  they  still  are,  in  character  and  station,  at  least,  though 
not  in  name  or  rank.  To  what  of  a  secular  nature  do  we  owe 
any  thing  like  the  same  amount  of  obligation  as  to  Commerce  ? 
Where  else  should  we  have  obtained  all  those  vast  resources 
which  are  building  us  up  as  a  great  people,  and  which  are  ena- 
bling us  to  maintain,  even  as  we  do,  our  position  as  a  Christian 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  57 


people,  and  to  spread  abroad  those  Christian  influences  which 
are  due  from  us  a  prosperous  people — where,  but  from  Com- 
merce, and  at  our  merchants'  hands  ?  There  is  an  elasticity  too, 
— a  power  of  expansion  in  Commerce,  which  enables  it  to  adapt 
itself  to  the  increasing  exigencies  of  a  country,  as  our  own  case 
has  so  signally  shown. 

"  A  well-regulated  Commerce,"  says  an  eminent  moral  philoso- 
pher, "  is  not  like  law,  physic,  or  divinity,  to  be  overstocked 
with  hands;  but,  on  the  contrary,  flourishes  by  multitudes,  and 
gives  employment  to  all  its  professors."  Fleets  of  merchantmen 
are  so  many  squadrons  of  floating  stores,  that  vend  our  wares 
and  manufactures  in  all  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  find  out 
chapmen  under  both  the  tropics. 

It  is  evident,  then,  how  much  we  owe  to  Commerce,  and  how 
greatly  we  depend  upon  our  merchants,  for  our  means  both  of 
social  progress  and  religious  effort.  And  if  it  be  true,  as  a  dis- 
tinguished sage  has  recorded  that  it  is,  that  "  the  prosperity  of  a 
people  is  proportionate  to  the  number  of  hands  and  minds  that 
are  fully  employed,"  we  see  further  how,  mainly  contributing  as 
he  does  to'  this,  the  merchant  is  not  only  a  motive  power,  as  it 
were,  in  the  social  system,  but  a  responsible  agent  in  its  whole 
economy. 

And  if  the  merchant  be  thus  responsible,  how  important  that 
he  should  ever  remember  and  fulfil  his  responsibility.  In  a 
word,  of  how  much  moment  is  it  that  he  should  be  the  Good 
Merchant. 

Appropriately,  then,  and  opportunely,  did  Charles  Sumner, 
lately  select  this  as  the  subject  of  his  eloquent  address  before 
the  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  Boston,  which  we  rejoice 
to  find  is  published  and  put  into  circulation— pretty  exten- 
sively, let  us  hope,  throughout  the  mercantile  community  of 

3* 


58  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


the  Union.  He  has  sought  therein  to  set  forth  "  what  this  age 
requires  from  the  mercantile  profession,  or  rather,  since  nothing 
is  justly  required  which  is  not  due,  what  the  mercantile  profession 
owes  to  this  age."  There  is  such  a  thing,  he  shows,  as  "an 
account  current"  between  it  and  humanity — he  might  have  said, 
also,  between  it  and  religion;  for  to  the  merchant,  with  his 
gains — with  his  "goods  laid  up  hi  store" — the  principle  will 
forcibly  apply,  which  is  involved  in  the  divine  precept ;  "of  him 
to  whom  much  is  given  will  much  be  required." 

The  remarkable  man  whom  Mr.  Sumner  has  exhibited  as  an 
example  to  the  young  merchants  of  Boston,  was  one  whose  con- 
duct, he  declared,  "  reveals  precisely  those  qualities  which,  in  this 
age,  are  needed  to  crown  the  character  of  the  Good  Merchant." 
This  was  Granville  Sharp — whose  case,  however,  has  so 
close  an  identity  with  a  question  on  which  we  do  not  wish  to 
enter,  that  we  must  refrain  from  touching  upon  it,  however 
slightly,  now — though  we  might  do  so  with  the  best  effect,  and 
not  without  advantage.  But,  confining  ourselves  strictly  to  the 
subject  in  hand,  when  it  is  acknowledged — as  acknowledged  it 
must  be — that,  "of  all  pursuits  or  relations,  his  is  now  the  most 
extensive  and  formidable,  making  all  others  its  tributaries,  and 
bending  at  times  even  the  lawyer  and  the  clergymen  to  be  its 
dependent  stipendiaries  " — there  is  conveyed  therein  a  weight  of 
importance,  in  its  bearings  upon  our  social  and  our  religious 
interests,  which  indeed  deserves  to  be  carefully  and  conscien- 
tiously considered. 

The  man  who  was  thus  forcibly  held  tip  as  a  model  for  the 
mercantile  character  and  conduct  of  this  age  and  country,  boldly 
and  successfully  asserted  the  principle  :  "  that  every  public  ordi- 
nance contrary  to  reason,  justice,  natural  equity,  or  the  written 
Word  of  God,  must  be  promptly  rejected."  And  it  is  in  him, 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  59 


the  eloquent  expositor  of  so  much  virtue  and  philanthropy,  he 
told  this  Mercantile  Association — "  it  is  in  him  that  the  merchant, 
successor  to  the  chivalrous  knight,  who  amis  to  fulfil  his  whole 
duties,  may  find  a  truer  prototype  than  hi  any  stunted  though 
successful  votary  of  trade,  while  the  humble  circumstances  of  his 
life  seem  to  make  him  an  easy  example.  In  imitating  him,"  it  is 
added,  "  Commerce  would  thrive  none  the  less,  but  goodness 
more.  Business  would  not  be  checked,  but  it  would  cease  to  be 
pursued  as  the  '  one  idea'  of  life.  Wealth  would  still  abound, 
but  there  would  be  also  that  solid  virtue,  never  to  be  moved 
from  truth,  which  you  will  admit,  even  without  the  admonition 
of  Plato,  is  better  than  all  the  cunning  of  Dcedalus,  or  all  the 
treasures  of  Tantalus.  The  hardness  of  heart  engendered  by  the 
accursed  greed  for  gam,  and  by  the  madness  of  worldly  ambition 
would  be  overcome;  the  perverted  practice,  that  policy  is  the  lest 
honesty,  would  be  reversed ;  and  merchants  would,  be  recalled,  gently 
but  irresistibly,  to  the  great  practical  duties  of  this  age,  and  thus 
win  the  palm  of  true  honesty,  which  trade  alone  can  never 
bestow. 

'  Who  is  the  honest  man  ? 
He  who  doth  still  and  strongly  good  pursue, 
To  God,  his  neighbor,  and  himself  most  true.' " 

Surely,  then,  this  were  a  salutary  and  seasonable  admonition 
to  a  mercantile  community,  and  its  delivery  does  Mr.  Sumner 
infinite  credit  and  honor.  Yet  it  is  but  the  repetition  of  what 
the  church  catechism  teaches  in  its  answers  to  the  two  im- 
portant questions: — "What  is  thy  duty  toward  God?"  and 
"What  is  thy  duty  toward  thy  neighbor?"  And  were  that 
teaching  but  more  general,  and  more  effectual  than  it  is,  we 
should  see  very  many  bright  examples  among  us  of  the  GOOD 
MERCHANT. 


60  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


26. 

THE  same  authority  which  requires  man  to  be  "  fervent  in 
spirit,"  also  commands  us  to  be  "  diligent  in  business."  Religion 
and  business,  therefore,  are  both  right,  and  may  essentially  serve 
each  other.  A  truly  religious  man  will  give  proper  attention  to 
business;  and  a  man  who  conducts  business  as  he  ought,  will  do 
it  on  religious  principles.  But  for  a  man  to  join  a  church,  attend 
the  sacrament,  or  perform  any  religious  service,  thereby  to 
secure  confidence  among  men,  that  he  may  obtain  their  custom  in 
trade,  it  is  serving  mmamon  and  not  God.  When  men  attend 
meetings. to  advertise  their  goods,  for  the  purpose  of  speculation, 
they  evidently  belong  to  the  church  of  Judas,  rather  than  that  of 
Christ.  We  once  knew  a  case  like  this: — "  A  father  and  a  son, 
lived  near  each  other  in  a  new  settlement.  The  old  gentleman 
invited  preachers  to  the  neighborhood,  and  entertained  them 
freely,  opening  his  doors  for  religious  meetings.  The  son  took 
alarm  and  advised  his  father  to  discontinue  the  practice,  or 
he  would  surely  ruin  himself  and  come  to  want.  The  father 
took  no  notice  of  his  son's  worldly  minded  caution,  and  instead  of 
coming  to  poverty  he  grew  wealthy  fast.  The  son,  seeing 
how  things  went,  concluded  he  would  try  the  same  method  to 
obtain  property.  So  when  the  preachers  came  again  he  invited 
them  to  his  house,  supposing  it  would  add  to  his  property,  as  he 
concluded  it  had  to  his  father's. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that,  in  this  case,  the  young  man's  God 
was  the  world.  Another  way  of  developing  the  same  spirit, 
is  discovered  in  the  way  a  man  in  Providence  explained  his 
belief  in  the  existence  of  a  Deity.  In  an  evening's  meeting, 
while  exhorting,  he  remarked: — "Brethren,  I  am  just  as 
confident  that  there  is  a  Supreme  Being,  as  I  am  that  there 
is  flour  in  Alexandria;  and  that  I  know  for  certain,  as  I  yester- 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  61 


day  received  from  there  a  lot  of  three  hundred  barrels  of 
fresh  superfine,  which  I  will  sell  as  low  as  any  other  person 
in  town." 

Here  is  a  strange  mixing  of  religion  and  business  which  cannot 
strike  one  very  agreeably. 

Some  years  since  we  were  well  acquainted  with  a  yonug  minis- 
ter in  Maine,  who  mixed  up  prayer  with  everything,  and  on 
all  occasions.  Here  is  one  instance  in  a  hundred  we  might  give: 
— he  called  one  evening  on  a  brother  minister,  just  as  the  family 
were  sitting  at  the  tea-table. 

"  Good  evening,"  said  the  Eev.  Mr.  M.,  "  sit  up  and  take 
some  tea  with  us." 

"  No! "  said  the  new  comer,  Mr.  R.,  "  I  will  pray  while  you 
eat." 

"  There  is  another  room  you  can  go  into  to  do  that." 

"  No,  I  will  pray  here,"  said  R.,  and  down  he  got  on  his  Knees 
and  commenced  praying. 

Mr.  M.  having  another  gentleman  at  the  table,  with  whom  he 
was  in  conversation  about  a  set  of  Clarke's  Commentary,  con- 
cluded he  would  continue  his  conversation,  notwithstanding 
the  by-play  of  the  prayer.  But  Mr.  R.  kept  his  ear  .well 
open  to  the  conversation,  while  he  conducted  his  devotions. 
Finally  he  turned  his  head  to  the  speakers  at  the  table,  and 
said  : — 

"  Brother  M.,  I  will  give  you  seven  dollars  for  those  books," 
and  then  turned  back  to  his  prayers  for  a  few  minutes.  Then 
turning  again,  he  continued,  "brother  M.,  you  had  better 
take  what  I  offered  you."  After  going  on  with  his  prayer 
a  little  longer,  he  once  more  broke  out,  "  you  can't  do  better." 
Then  once  more  to  prayer. 

If  that  was  not  religion  and  business,  we  know  not  what 


62  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


is ;  and  as  objectionable  as  it  may  seem  in  this  case,  there  are 
a  great  many  persons  who  evidently  try  to  serve  God  and 
mammon  on  the  same  principle,  if  not  exactly  in  the  same 
manner.  But  good  advice  is,  "  Let  everything  be  done  decently 
and  in  order." 

27. 

JAMES  HOLFORD  has  risen  step  by  step  up  the  ladder  of  for- 
tune until  he  stands  securely  at  the  summit,  with  fame,  wealth, 
and  honors  surrounding  him.  Some  twenty  years  ago  this  same 
James  Holford  was  at  the  very  foot  of  the  ladder  pondering 
how  he  should  rise.  The  ladder  was  very  curious  to  contemplate, 
and  still  more  curious  was  it  to  hear  what  the  world  said 
about  it. 

"  It  is  all  luck,  sir,"  cried  one,  "nothing  but  luck;  why,  sir,  I 
have  managed  at  times  to  get  up  a  step  or  two,  but  have  always 
fallen  down  ere  long,  and  now  I  have  given  up  striving,  for  luck 
is  against  me." 

"No,  sir,"  cried  another;  "  it  is  not  so  much  luck  as  scheming; 
the  selfish  schemer  gets  up  while  more  honest  folks  remain  at  the 
foot." 

"  Patronage  does  it  all,"  said  a  third,  "you  must  have  some- 
body to  take  you  by  the  hand  and  help  you  up,  or  you  have 
no  chance." 

James  Holford  heard  all  these  varied  opinions  of  the  world, 
but  still  persisted  in  looking  upward,  for  he  had  faith  in  himself. 

"  The  cry  of  luck's  all,  what  does  it  amount  to  in  reality," 
thought  he,  "but  that  some  people  are  surrounded  by  better 
circumstances  than  others;  they  must  still,  however,  take  advant- 
age of  these  circumstances  permanently  to  succeed;  and  I,  having 
very  indifferent  circumstances  around  me,  have  the  more  need  to 
use  great  exertion  in  order  to  better  them;  and  when  reverses 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  63 


come  I  will  not  despair  as  some  do,  but  persevere  on  to  fortune. 
I  want  no  friend  to  take  me  by  the  hand,  and  do  that  for 
me  which  every  healthy  man  can  do  better  for  himself.  No.  I 
will  rise  by  myself  alone." 

The  resolution  was  earnestly  made,  and  faithfully  carried  out. 
From  the  humblest  office  in  a  store,  to  the  post  of  the  highest 
trust,  James  Holford  rose  in  a  few  years.  He  placed  his  affec- 
tions on  one  alike  to  him  in  sympathies  and  in  fortune,  and  wed- 
ded happiness  with  her.  He  became  a  trader  for  himself,  having 
from  his  income  laid  by  sufficient  to  start  with.  His  probity,  his 
courtesy  and  his  application,  commended  him  to  all  his  customers, 
and  every  year  saw  him  advancing  higher  in  the  world's  estima- 
tion. Not  only  did  he  devote  his  energies  to  his  business,  but 
his  leisure  hours  were  given  to  the  cultivation  of  his  mental 
faculties,  so  that  his  neighbors  soon  began  to  look  upon  him 
as  an  authority  in  public  matters,  and  again  and  again  confided 
offices  of  trusts  to  him,  in  which  he  invariably  won  golden 
opinions.  Independent  in  spirit  as  he  is  now  also  independent  in 
fortune,  and  still  in  the  vigor  of  health  and  life,  with  a  fine  troop 
of  children  around  him,  James  Holford  looks  with  hope  and 
serenity  to  the  future,  while  in  his  every  action  he  still  offers 
a  model  to  the  world. 

His  counsel  is  much  sought  by  the  young  and  aspiring,  and  he 
thus  discourses  to  them  concerning  the  ladder  of  fortune: — 

"The  steps  from  the  foot  to  the  summit  are  not  many,  but 
each  has  a  name  which  must  be  distinctly  known  by  all  who 
would  seek  to  climb.  The  first  step  is  faith,  and  without  this, 
none  can  safely  rise;  the  second,  industry;  the  third,  perseverance; 
the  fourth,  temperance;  the  fifth,  probity;  and  the  sixth,  in- 
dependence. Having  obtained  thus  high  a  position  on  the 
ladder,  the  future  rise  is  easy,  for  faith  will  have  taught  the 


64  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


climber  never  to  doubt  or  despair;  industry  will  have  kept  him 
from  vice  either  hi  thought  or  deed;  perseverance  will  have 
shown  him  how  easily  difficulties  are  surmounted  when  calmly 
met;  temperance  will  have  preserved  both  health  and  temper; 
probity  will  have  ensured  respect  and  given  stability  to  the  char- 
acter; and  independence  of  spirit,  while  it  will  give  dignity  to 
the  man,  will  certainly  gain  the  admiration  of  the  world.  One 
step  more  has  to  be  acquired,  which  is  experience — the  only  true 
knowledge  of  life,  and  then  the  summit  of  the  ladder  is  surely 
reached." 

Young  men,  the  ladder  of  fortune  can  be  mounted  by  all  of 
you,  if  you  learn  the  moral  of  James  Holford's  life.  Say,  who 
is  the  first  to  profit  by  it  ? 


MB.  JOHN  McDoNOGH,  the  millionaire  of  New  Orleans,  has 
engraved  upon  his  tomb  a  series  of  maxims,  which  he  had  pre- 
scribed as  the  rules  for  his  guidance  through  life,  and  to  which 
his  success  in  business  is  mainly  attributable.  These  rules  would 
undoubtedly  secure  riches  and  honor;  and  as  a  whole  are  worthy 
of  being  accepted: — 

"  Remember  always  that  labor  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  our 
existence.  Tune  is  gold;  throw  not  one  minute  away,  but  place 
each  one  to  account.  Do  unto  all  men  as  you  would  be  done  by. 
Never  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  you  can  do  to-day.  Never  bid 
another  to  do  what  you  can  do  yourself.  Never  covet  what  is 
not  your  own.  Never  think  any  matter  so  trifling  as  not  to 
deserve  notice.  Never  give  out  that  which  does  not  first  come 
in.  Never  spend  but  to  produce.  Let  the  greatest  order  regu- 
late the  transactions  of  your  life.  Study  in  your  course  of  life  to 
do  the  greatest  amount  of  good.  Deprive  yourself  of  nothing 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  65 


necessary  to  your  comfort,  but  lire  in  an  honorable  simplicity 
and  frugality.  Labor,  then,  to  the  last  moment  of  your  existence. 

"  Pursue  strictly  the  above  rules,  and  the  Divine  blessing  and 
riches  of  every  kind  will  flow  upon  you  to  your  heart's  content; 
but,  first  of  all,  remember  that  the  chief  and  great  study  of  our 
life  should  be  to  tend,  by  all  means  hi  our  power,  to  the  honor 
and  glory  of  our  Divine  Creator.  The  conclusion  to  wliich  I  have 
arrived  is,  that,  without  temperance,  there  is  no  health  ;  without 
virtue,  no  order ;  without  religion,  no  happiness;  and  that  the 
aim  of  our  being  is  to  live  wisely,  soberly,  and  righteously." 

To  the  above  maxims  of  McDonogh  we  would  add  one  more, 
which  comes  to  us  opportunely  in  the  columns  of  the  Philadelphia 
Daily  Reporter.  It  is  a  rule  of  rules — the  complement  of  all  the 
rest — the  keystone  of  the  arch  of  mercantile  character.  For 
what  most  men  lack  is  not  rules,  but  the  energy  to  apply  them 
at  the  right  moment;  not  moral  principles,  but  moral  presence,  of 
mind — and  this  is  SELF-POSSESSION,  SELF-RELIANCE.  "  Wo  unto 
him  that  is  faint-hearted,"  says  the  son  of  Sirach. 

"  We  have  just  received  the  following  letter,"  gays  the 
Reporter,  "  from  one  of  Philadelphia's  best  and  noblest  mer- 
chants." The  letter  is  as  follows: — 

"  I  send  you  the  extract  I  spoke  a  few  days  since.  It  contains 
more  real  truth  of  what  my  long  experience  has  been  in  the  great 
battle  of  life,  (having  commenced  at  the  first  round  of  the 
ladder, )  than  any  article  I  have  ever  seen  in  print,  and  I  do  hope 
that  every  newspaper  in  our  country  will  republish  it,  for  the 
benefit  of  all  young  men  who  are  about  commencing  business, 
and  who,  are  now  in  business,  for  it  will  do  much  good,  if  they 
will  be  governed  by  its  precepts." 

The  extract  referred  to  appeared  originally  in  the  Richmond 
Post,  and  is  as  follows  : — 


66  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  When  -a  crisis  befals  you,  and  the  emergency  requires  moral 
courage  and  noble  manhood  to  meet  it,  be  equal  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  moment,  and  rise  superior  to  the  obstacles  in  your 
path.  The  universal  testimony  of  men  whose  experience  exactly 
coincides  with  yours,  furnishes  the  consoling  reflection  that  diffi- 
culties may  be  ended  by  opposition.  There  is  no  blessing  equal 
to  the  possession  of  a  stout  heart.  The  magnitude  of  the  danger 
needs  nothing  more  than  a  greater  effort  than  ever  at  your 
hands.  If  you  prove  recreant  in  the  hour  of  trial,  you  are  the 
worst  of  recreants,  and  deserve  no  compassion.  Be  not  dismayed 
or  unmanned,  when  you  should  be  bold  and  daring,  unflinching 
and  resolute.  The  cloud  whose  threatening  murmurs  you  hear 
with  fear  and  dread  is  pregnant  with  blessings,  and  the  frown 
whose  sternness  now  makes  you  shudder  and  tremble,  will  ere 
long  be  succeeded  by  a  smile  of  bewitching  sweetness  and 
benignity.  Then  be  strong  and  manly,  oppose  equal  forces  to 
open  difficulties,  keep  a  stiff  upper  lip,  and  trust  in-  Providence. 
Greatness  can  only  be  achieved  by  those  who  are  tried.  The 
condition  of  that  achievement  is  confidence  in  one's  self." 

We  certainly  do  not  often  meet  with  a  piece  of  better  senti- 
ment or  sounder  morality.  This  confidence  in  one's  self,  in  a 
world  where  every  man  appears  to  be  striving  against  his  fellow, 
is  as  necessary  to  a  successful  career  as  is  breath  to  physical 
existence.  Or  it  may  be  likened  to  the  healthful  action  of  the 
heart,  whose  steady  pulsations  direct  and  keep  in  harmony  every 
movement  of  the  animal  economy.  This  once  lost,  and  the  con- 
sequences are  as  calamitous  as  those  that  follow  any  disorder  of 
the  great  human  engine.  In  order  to  maintain  intact  this  self- 
confidence,  one  must  respect  himself,  which  can  only  be  done  by 
pursuing  a  uniform  life  of  honor  and  integrity.  There  are  those 
who  quail  and  shudder  before  every  breath  of  adverse  fortune. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  67 


Their  timidity  is  their  stumbling-block,  if  not  their  ruin,  while 
they  have  the  additional  mortification  of  witnessing  the  rapid 
advance  and  ultimate  success  of  those  who,  commencing  life  with 
themselves  have  placed  and  retained  self-confidence  at  the  helm 
of  their  adventurous  bark.  The  writer  of  the  letter  inclosing  us 
this  extract  is  a  most  admirable  specimen  of  the  results  of  this 
sound  philosophy,  and  the  eminent  position  he  now  occupies  in 
the  affection  and  respect  of  the  community,  and,  indeed,  of  the 
country,  must  be  abundant  reward  for  the  trials  and  difficulties 
he  so  nobly  battled  in  his  earlier  career. 

9Q 
XV. 

IN  November,  1841,  the  mercantile  house  of  Shelton,  Brothers 
&  Co.,  of  Boston,  found  it  necessary  to  suspend  payment  of  their 
debts,  and  to  close  up  the  business  of  the  firm.  Their  creditor, 
after  an  investigation  of  their  concerns,  agreed  to  receive  fifty 
per  cent  of  the  amount  of  their  respective  demands,  and  release 
the  house  entirely  from  their  obligations.  This  agreement  was 
entered  into  by  all  the  creditors,  the  stipulated  per  centage  was 
paid,  and  the  demands  cancelled.  Some  time  after  the  failure 
of  the  house,  Mr.  Henry  Shelton,  one  of  the  partners,  died. 
Mr.  Philo.  S.  Shelton,  the  surviving  partner,  proceeded,  with 
undaunted  and  persevering  energy,  to  wind  up  the  concerns  of 
the  old  firm,  and  to  commence  business  anew,  on  his  own  account. 
In  his  enterprise  he  has  been  prosperous,  and  soon  made  a  new 
dividend  of  twenty-five  per  cent  among  all  his  creditors,  upon  the 
full  amount  of  their  cancelled  demands  against  the  original  house, 
paying  out  to  them  the  aggregate  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars, 
for  which  they  had  no  legal  claim  upon  him  whatever.  This 
payment  was  entirely  voluntary  on  bis  part ;  and  it  has  been 
made  not  only  to  individual  creditors,  but,  in  some  instances,  to 
rich  corporations,  by  whom  the  loss  would  not  have  been  felt. 


68  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


30. 

IT  is  an  awkward  thing  to  begin  the  world  without  a  dollar — 
and  yet  hundreds  of  individuals  have  raised  large  fortunes  from 
a  single  shilling.  We  know  a  gentleman,  a  builder,  in  an  exten- 
sive way  of  business,  now  well  worth  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
who  was  a  bricklayer's  laborer  some  six  years  ago,  at  one  dollar 
per  day.  He  became  rich,  by  acting  upon  principle.  He  has  fre- 
quently assured  me  that  even  when  he  was  in  ill-paid  employment  he 
continued  to  save  fifty  cents  per  day,  and  thus  laid  up  one  hundred 
and  eighty-two  dollars  the  first  year.  From  this  moment  his  for- 
tune was  made.  Like  the  hound  upon  the  right  scent  the  game 
sooner  or  later  won  was  sure  to  become  his  own.  Another  very 
extensive  firm,  one  of  which  has  since  died,  and  left  behind  him  an 
immense  property,  the  other  is  still  alive,  has  realized  as  much,  and 
yet  both  these  men  came  to  New  York  without  a  cent,  and  swept  the 
very  shop  wherein  they  both  afterwards  made  their  fortunes.  Like 
the  builder  whom  we  have  just  mentioned,  they  possessed  an  indom- 
itable spirit  of  industry,  perseverance  and  frugality,  and  the  first 
dollar  became  in  consequence  the  foundation  of  a  million  more. 

The  world  at  large  would  call  these  individuals  fortunate,  and 
ascribe  their  property  to  good  luck;  but  the  world  would  be  very 
wrong  to  do  so.  If  there  was  any  luck  at*  all  in  the  matter,  it 
was  the  luck  of  possessing  clear  heads  and  active  hands,  by  which 
means  multitudes  of  others  have  carved  out  their  own  fortunes, 
as  well  as  those  instances  we  have  above  cited.  But  the  word 
business  means  habit.  Parodoxical  as  it  may  seem  at  first  sight, 
business  is  nothing  in  the  world  except  habit — the  soul  of  which 
is  regularity.  Like  the  fly-wheel  upon  a  steam  engine,  this  last 
keeps  up  the  motion  of  life  steady  and  unbroken,  thereby  enabling 
the  machine  to  do  its  work ;  without  this  regularity,  your  motions 
as  a  merchant  may  be  capital,  but  never  will  be  profitable. 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  69 


u. 

EXAMPLES  of  the  fatal  effects  of  an  inordinate  love  of  specula- 
tion are  unfortunately  too  numerous.  The  earliest  recorded 
instances  of  this  hurtful  speculative  spirit  occurred  in  Holland  in 
1634,  and  is  known  under  the  name  of  the  Tulip  Mania.  In 
that  year  the  principal  cities  of  the  Netherlands  were  seized  with 
a  desire  to  possess  certain  descriptions  of  tulips;  and  this  engaged 
them  in  a  traffic  which  encouraged  gambling  to  a  ruinous  extent. 
The  avarice  of  the  rich  was  inflamed  by  the  prospect  of  boundless 
wealth,  and  the  poor  imagined  their  troubles  at  an  end,  and  for- 
tunes within  their  grasp.  The  value  of  a  flower  rose  to  more 
than  its  weight  in  gold.  And  this  period,  like  all  others  of  a 
similar  character,  ended  in  enriching  a  few  by  the  impoverishment 
of  the  many.  Tulips  were  not^more  highly  prized  nor  sought 
after  more  eagerly  in  1634  than  railway  scrip  in  1845.  A  simi- 
lar principle,  or  rather  the  want  of  all  principle,  was  as  notice- 
able in  the  one  case  as  hi  the  other.  Contracts  were  entered 
into  for  the  delivery  of  certain  roots,  ^which  were  never  seen  by 
broker,  by  buyer,  or  by  seller.  At  first  all  appeared  to  flow 
smoothly.  Congratulations  aud  revelings  were  general.  Bar- 
gains were  confirmed  at  costly  banquets;  and  a  man  one  day 
pinched  with  poverty,  astonished  his  neighbors  the  next  by 
the  display  of  botfndless  magnificence.  The  desire  to  trade  in 
flowers  took  hold  of  .all  ranks;  and  the  drowsy  Hollander,  with 
little  of  the  romantic  in  his  character,  believed  that  a  veritable 
golden  age  was  approaching.  This  feeling  was  not  confined  to  one 
class  or  profession  of  the  people,  it  spread  to  all.  To  obtain  cash, 
property  of  every  description  was  sold  at  ruinous  prices.  When, 
too,  it  became  known  that  London  and  Paris  were  seized  with 
this  tulipomania,  it  was  thought  that  the  wealth  and  commerce 
of  both  hemispheres  would  centre  in  Holland,  and  that  want  and 


70  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


wretchedness  would  become  a  tale  of  the  past.  Perhaps  there 
are  no  greater  instances  of  human  folly  on  record  than  the  prices 
given  for  these  bulbs.  Goods  to  the  value  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  florins  were  given  for  one  root.  Another  kind  usually 
sold  for  two  thousand  florins;  and  a  third  was  valued  at  a  new 
carriage,  two  grey  horses,  and  a  complete  harness;  and  twelve 
acres  of  land  were  given  for  a  fourth.  But  this  unnatural  state 
of  things  could  not  last.  The  panic  came,  confidence  was 
destroyed,  agreements,  no  matter  how  solemnly  entered  into, 
were  broken,  and  every  city  in  the  Netherlands  had  its  bank- 
rupts. The  gay  visions  of  wealth  which  had  dazzled  thousands 
dissolved,  and  left  not  a  rack  behind.  The  possessors  of  a  few 
tulips,  which  a  few  days  before  were  valued  at  many  thousands 
of  pounds,  were  astounded  whqn  the  truth  appeared  that  they 
were  worth  absolutely  nothing.  The  law  would  not  regard  the 
contracts  entered  into  as  legitimate  trade,  but  looked  at  them  as 
gambling  transactions.  Actions  for  breach  of  contract  were 
therefore  void.  So  extensive  was  the  evil,  that  it  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  Deliberative  Council  of  the  Hague,  who  were, 
however,  quite  unable  to  find  a  remedy.  Its  effects  were  seen 
for  many  years  in  a  depressed  commerce  abroad  and  a  wide 
spread  distress  at  home. 

32. 

THE  Philadelphia  Merchant  says  that  nine-tenths  of  the  failures 
in  the  commercial  world  are  traceable  to  a  want  of  the  insolvent's 
acquaintance  with  the  details  of  business.  This  may  appear  to 
many  an  unwarrantable  conclusion,  but  to  the  intelligent  business 
man  no  argument  need  be  addressed  to  convince  him  of  its  obvi- 
ousness. 

Fast  living  and   extravagant  family  establishments,  are  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS    ANT)    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  71 


causes  alleged  by  the  superficial  reasoner,  for  the  insolvent's 
downfall ;  but  to  the  observant  business  man  these  are  only  the 
superinducing  cause  to  a  hasty  disruption  of  the  short-sighted 
insolvent's  affairs.  But  few  men  start  business  and  fast  living  at 
the  same  time ;  and  most  of  that  few  have  but  a  short-lived  exist- 
ence in  the  credit  market,  and  consequently  do  but  little  either 
good  or  harm  in  a  commercial  point  of  view.  Nor  is  the  number 
great  who,  upon  entering  business,  erect  princely  establishments  for 
the  expenditure  of  their  own  profits  and  their  creditors'  principal. 
Fast  living  and  extravagant  family  outlays  "creep  on  apace" 
with  the  free  and  easy  habits  of  the  merchant,  who  presumes 
that  he  is  doing  well  when  he  is  doing  a  large  and  extensive  busi- 
ness. With  large  sales  he  counts  on  large  profits,  and  pauses 
not  to  reflect  upon  his  increasing  expenditures  and  probable  aug- 
mentation of  bad  debts.  Did  he  consult  his  "  trial  balance " 
monthly,  not  merely  to  inform  himself  whether  or  not  his  book- 
keeper had  got  the  credit  side  of  the  ledger  to  balance  with  the 
debit  side  to  the  very  cent,  but  with  a  view  of  ascertaining 
the  condition  of  every  account,  both  representative  and  personal, 
he  would  then  see  not  only  the  amount  of  his  purchases  and 
sales,  but  who  had  paid  and  who  had  not,  what  amount  of  notes 
had  been  taken  up,  and  what  amount  was  necessary  to  provide 
for  those  maturing — how  his  expenses  had  augmented  and  bad 
debts  accumulated ;  and  the  consideration  of  these  would  suggest 
measures  to  be  adopted  for  the  securement  of  claims  of  a 
dubious  or  doubtful  character.  And  what  is  more,  they  would 
suggest,  besides  many  important  details  of  a  business  character, 
whether  or  not  his  business  will  warrant  the  drain  made  upon 
it  for  family  and  other  expenses.  If  it  wih1  not,  he  can  explain 
his  condition  to  his  wife  and  family,  who  have  an  equal  interest 
with  him  in  sustaining  his  reputation  and  standing,  as  an 


72  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


honorable  business  man,  and  they  will  join  with  him  in  all  those 
retrenchments  necessary  to  enable  him  to  maintain  a  proud 
position  among  his  fellows,  on  the  change  or  in  the  mart. 

There  are  none  so  sensitive  to  the  blameless  standing  of  the 
merchant,  as  the  "  loved  ones  at  home,"  and  there  is  no  sacrifice 
they  would  not  make  to  sustain  the  high  calling  of  the  husband 
and  father. 

He  who  acquaints  himself  with  the  duties  of  his  business, 
will  guard  its  every  interest,  and,  if  need  be,  will  apprise  his  wife 
and  family  with  what  it  will  allow  for  the  necessaries  and  luxu- 
ries of  life;  and  his  family  will  be  content  therewith.  He  is  not 
a  good  business  man  who  keeps  his  wife  and  family  in  ignorance 
of  his  ability  to  indulge  their  fancied  requirements. 

33. 

IT  is  an  evil  of  the  intense  competition  in  great  mercantile 
communities  that  it  drives  many  from  the  walks  of  legitimate 
business  into  schemes  of  speculation  with  reference  to  sudden 
and  extravagant  gains.  The  history  of  frauds  teaches  that  they 
originate  chiefly  in  the  attempt  to  grow  rich  rapidly  by  financier- 
ing, rather  than  by  diligence  in  business.  Financiering  has  its 
place  in  legitimate  business.  Some  men  have  a  talent  for  this, 
which  is  as  true  a  mark  of  genius  as  is  poetry  or  art.  But  it  is 
not  a  talent  that  every  man  can  acquire;  and  it  is  fortunate  that 
this  is  so;  for  if  all  the  world  should  turn  financiers,  the  earth 
itself  would  soon  go  into  bankruptcy.  Now  the  calamity  of  a 
great  city  is,  that  every  one  who  gains  a  little  money  takes  to 
financiering  as  a  readier  mode  of  increasing  it  than  by  regular 
business.  Wall  street,  the  focus  of  financiering,  gives  a  tone  to 
the  whole  business  community. 

But  financiering  is  a  deep  game;  and  he  who  leaves  an  honest 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  73 


toil  in  a  business  that  be  does  understand,  for  calculations  of 
chance  in  matters  where  he  has  no  skill,  is  very  apt  to  become 
the  loser;  and  as  in  all  lotteries,  to  grow  desperate  in  the  attempt 
to  make  np  his  losses.  We  do  not  speak  of  investments  hi 
stocks  as  property,  but  of  the  spirit  of  speculation ;  and  we  have 
no  doubt  that  a  just  verdict  upon  many  cases  of  fraud  would  be, 
"This  man  lost  his  capital  and  his  character  by  speculation 
in  stocks."  Keep,  therefore,  to  honest  toil  hi  a  legitimate  busi- 
ness, and  do  not  aspire  to  become  a  financier.  "  Be  content 
with  such  things  as  ye  have." 

34. 

THE  advice  of  FRANKLIN  to  a  young  tradesman,  given  more 
than  a  century  ago  (1748)  may  be  followed  with  advantage  by 
the  rising  generations  of  mercnants  and  tradesmen  hi  all  tune: — 

As  you  have  desired  it  of  me,  says  Franklin,  I  write  the 
following  hints,  which  have  been  of  service  to  me,  and  may,  if 
observed,  be  so  to  you. 

Remember  that  time  is  money.  He  that  can  earn  ten  shillings 
a  day  by  his  labor,  and  goes  abroad  or  sits  idle  one-half  that 
day,  though  he  spend  but  six-pence  during  his  diversion  or  idle- 
ness, ought  not  to  reckon  that  the  only  expense;  he  has  really 
spent,  or  rather  thrown  away,  five  shillings  besides. 

Remember  that  credit  is  money  If  a  man  lets  his  money  lie 
in  my  hands  after  it  is  due,  he  gives  me  the  interest,  or  so  much 
as  I  can  make  of  it,  during  that  tune.  This  amounts  to  a  consid- 
erable sum  where  a  man  has  good  and  large  credit,  and  makes 
good  use  of  it. 

Remember  that  money  is  of  a  prolific  generating  nature. 
Money  can  beget  money,  and  its  offspring  can  beget  more,  and 
so  on.  Five  shillings  turned  is  six,  turned  again  it  is  seven  and 

4 


74  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


three  pence,  and  so  on  till  it  becomes  an  hundred  pounds.  The 
more  there  is  of  it,  the  more  it  produces  every  turning,  so  that 
the  profits  rise  quicker  and  quicker.  He  that  kills  a  breeding 
sow  destroys  all  her  offspring  to  the  thousandth  generation.  He 
that  murders  a  crown  destroys  all  that  it  might  have  produced, 
even  scores  of  pounds. 

Remember  that  six  pounds  a  year  is  but  a  groat  a  day.  For 
this  little  sum  (which  may  be  daily  wasted  either  in  time  or  expense 
unperceived)  a  man  of  credit  may,  on  his  own  security,  have  the 
constant  possession  and  use  of  a  hundred  pounds.  So  much  hi 
stock,  briskly  turned  by  an  industrious  man,  produces  great 
advantage. 

Remember  this  saying,  "  the  good  paymaster  is  lord  of 
another  man's  purse."  He  that  is  known  to  pay  punctually  and 
exactly  to  the  time  he  promises  may  at  any  time,  and  on  any 
occasion,  raise  all  the  money  his  friends  can  spare.  This  is  some- 
times of  great  use.  After  industry  and  frugality,  nothing  contri- 
butes more  to  the  rising  of  a  young  man  in  the  world  than 
punctuality  and  justice  in  all  his  dealings;  therefore,  never  keep 
borrowed  money  an  hour  beyond  the  time  you  promised,  lest 
disappointment  shut  up  your  friend's  purse  forever. 

The  most  trifling  actions  that  affect  a  man's  credit  are  to  be 
regarded.  The  sound  of  your  hammer  at  five  in  the  morning,  or 
nine  at  night,  heard  by  a  creditor,  makes  him  easy  six  months 
longer;  but,  if  he  sees  you  at  the  billiard  table,  or  hears  your 
voice  at  a  tavern,  when  you  should  be  at  work,  he  sends  for  his 
money  the  next  day,  demands  it  before  he  can  receive  it  in  a 
lump. 

It  shows,  beside,  that  you  are  mindful  of  what  you  owe;  it 
makes  you  appear  a  careful  as  well  as  an  honest  man,  and  that 
still  increases  your  credit. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  75 


Beware  of  thinking  all  your  own  that  you  possess,  and  of 
living  accordingly.  It  is  a  mistake  that  many  people  who  have 
credit  fall  into.  To  prevent  this,  keep  an  exact  account,  for 
some  time,  both  of  your  expenses  and  of  your  income.  If  you 
take  the  pains  at  first  to  mention  particulars,  it  will  have 
this  good  effect;  you  will  discover  how  wonderfully  sr.all  trifling 
expenses  amount  up  to  large  sums,  and  will  discern  what  might 
have  been  and  may  for  the  future  be  saved,  without  occasioning 
any  great  inconvenience. 

In  short,  the  way  to  wealth,  if  you  desire  it,  is  as  plain  as  the 
road  to  market.  It  depends  chiefly  on^wo  words,  industry  and 
frugality;  that  is,  waste  neither  time  nor  money,  but  make  the 
best  use  of  both.  Without  industry  and  frugality  nothing  will 
do,  and  with  them  everything.  He  that  gets  all  he  can  honestly, 
and  saves  all  he  gets  (necessary  expenses  excepted),  will  certain- 
ly become  rich — if  that  Being  who  governs  the  work1.,  to  whom 
all  should  look  for  a  blessing  on  their  honest  endeavors,  doth  not 
in  his  wise  providence,  otherwise  determine. 

35. 

THE  Rev.  Dr.  ADAMS,  of  New  York,  delivered  a  lecture  before 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Newark,  ih  which  he 
portrayed  the  mercantile  profession  in  its  brighter  features,  with- 
out touching  the  darker  sides  of  the  picture.  He  commenced 
with  a  happy  allusion  to  the  motto  .on  the  seal  of  the  letter 
inviting  the  lecture,  "Res,  non  verba" — actions,  not  words — 
which  was  worthy  the  imitation  of  every  young  man.  Our 
republic  was  not  founded  by  poets  and  theorists,  but  by  survey- 
ors, merchants,  mechanics,  and  others,  whose  principle  was  Res, 
ncn  verba.  In  commencing  his  theme — the  ideal  of  a  merchant — 
he  noticed  Shakspeare's  description  of  Shylock  and  Antonio; 


76  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AXD    MISCELLANIES 


while  we  stigmatize  one  as  an  avaricious  man,  believing  strongly 
in  law,  but  not  in  mercy,  we  are  won  by  the  sublime  heroism  of 
the  merchant's  self-sacrifice.  The  world  is  a  great  mart,  where 
riches,  fame,  and  luxurious  ease  are  striven  for;  but  he  would 
protest  against  the  idea  that  to  attain  these  we  must  devote  all 
our  energy,  discarding  everything  else.  He  mentioned  prominent 
merchants  of  the  Old  World  who  had  done  much  for  literature 
as  well  as  business;  there  was  no  incongruity  between  habits  of 
thought  and  action.  The  merchant  should  not  write  over  his 
mind  the  inscription  of  his  counting-room — "No  admittance, 
except  on  business."  'rte  idea  that  mercantile  life  was  one  of 
ease  and  exemption  from  labor,  had  poisoned  the  prospects  and 
advancement  of  many  a  boy,  and  spoiled  a  good  farmer  or 
mechanic  in  a  poor  merchant.  There  is  no  more  respectability 
in  wielding  a  pen  in  broadcloth,  than  hi  following  a  plow  or 
welding  an  ax.  As  much  worth,  interest,  and  honor  as  a  man 
puts  in  his  business,  so  much  will  he  derive  from  it. 

In  mercantile  life,  honesty  will  be  severely  tried,  and  will 
either  decline  or  be  strengthened  so  that  it  will  be  steadfast  ever 
after.  He  then  dwelt  upon  credit — its  beautiful  derivation  credo, 
I  believe — men  trusting  in  fellow-men  ;  and  this  surrounded  them 
like  the  halo  that  old  painters  throw  around  everything  divine. 
The  nice  sense  of  honor  in  their  code  was  more  binding  than 
statutes,  and  helped  them  in  adversity.  What  expanding  ideas 
crowd  the  merchant's  mind  as  he  views  the  great  panorama  of 
Commerce!  Who  knows  so  well  as  he  the  civilizing  effects  of 
Commerce?  Their  exchange  forms  a  sort  of  court  to  which 
every  nation  sends  its  representatives,  and  nature  seemed  to  have 
distributed  her  products  for  their  benefit.  He  spoke  strongly  in 
favor  of  early  and  discreet  marriages,  which  should  not  be 
deferred  till  they  could  vie  with  the  opulent ;  and  paid  a  high 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  77 


tribute  to  Mrs.  John  Adams,  who  he  regarded  as  the  cause  of 
her  husband's  advancement.  Her  gentle  influences,  which  lay 
about  the  roots  of  his  character,  stimulated  and  strengthened  its 
growth.  Wealth  adds  nothing  to  intelligence  or  real  enjoyment, 
our  capacity  for  happiness  being  in  our  nature,  and  not  in  our 
means.  Simplicity  and  industry  are  the  most  beautiful  orna- 
ments of  successful  merchants  ;  and  the  world  looks  more  hope- 
fully and  trustfully  to  them  than  to  its  legislators. 

36. 

A  VERY  pleasant  commotion  was  caused  in  one  of  the  towns 
hi  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  by  a  singular  instance  of  sticking  to 
the  Contract,  related  to  us  by  a  friend.  A  sea  captain  was 
about  to  start  on  a  long  voyage,  and  entered  into  a  contract 
with  a  builder  to  erect  him  a  handsome  and  commodious  house 
during  his  absence.  Every  thing  was  to  be  done  according  to  the 
contract,  which  the  captain  had  had  drawn  up  with  great  care. 
A  large  sum  was  to  be  forfeited  by  the  builder  if  he  should  fail 
to  observe  any  of  the  stipulations,  or  attempt  to  put  in  his 
notions  where  the  contract  made  no  provision  for  them.  The 
captain  sailed  and  returned.  His  house  stood  in  ample  and 
imposing  proportions  before  his  sight,  and  he  confessed  himself 
delighted  with  the  exterior.  But  when  he  entered  and  attempted' 
to  ascend  to  the  second  floor  of  the  building,  he  found  no  stairs, 
and  no  means  of  ascent  were  to  be  had  till  ladders  were  sent  for. 
The  captain  felt  that  he  was  trifled  with  and  a  bit  of  a  gale 
seemed  brewing.  But  this  was  soon  quieted  by  the  opening  of 
the  written  contract,  and  there  was  found  not  the  least  provision 
for  stairs  in  any  part  of  the  house  !  "  Give  me  your  hand,  sir !" 
said  the  noble  captain  at  once.  "All  right !  you've  stuck  to  the 
contract,  and  I  like  it." 


78  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


The  stairs  were  subsequently,  at  a  great  extra  expense,  put  in, 
and  the  captain  often  remarked  that  one  of  the  pleasantest  things 
about  his  elegant  residence  was,  the  remembrance  of  one  man 
who  could  stick  to  the  very  terms  of  a  contract. 

Now  "such  a  getting  up  stairs"  as  was  involved  by  this 
fidelity  to  a  contract  few  would  like,  but  it  is,  after  all,  one  of 
the  best  checks  on  want  of  care  in  business  arrangements.  Nine 
tenths  of  the  trouble  growing  out  of  building  operations  arise 
from  violations  of  the  terms  of  the  contract,  on  the  ground  that 
such  and  such  things  were  omitted — such  and  such  alterations 
will  give  great  satisfaction  when  they  are  executed — this  omis- 
sion being  put  over  against  that  addition,  and  both  the  builder 
and  the  property  owner  looking,  for  the  time,  only  on  that  side 
of  the  transaction  which  favors  them  individually.  When  the 
settlement  comes,  lo,  a  bill  of  items  longer  than  Jacob's  ladder  is 
brought  forth  hi  addition  to  the  sum  specified  in  the  contract, 
and  the  property  owner  is  asked  to  pay  for  every  whim  and  care- 
lessness of  the  builder.  The  only  remedy  for  these  evils,  which 
so  often  lead  to  vexatious  law-suits,  is,  to  specify  every  intended 
variation  from  the  contract  as  carefully  as  the  first  arrangement 
was  drawn  up;  and  when  this  is  not  done,  stick  to  the,  contract, 
though  it  impels  to  "such  a  getting  up  stairs"  as  was  never 
seen  before. 

31. 

A.LT,  men  are  liable  to  the  ups  and  downs  of  business,  and 
those  who  are  engaged  in  commerce  or  trade,  though  they 
may  be  cautious  and  prudent,  are  sometimes  caught  In  a  tight 
place  and  are  obh'ged  to  stop.  It  has  been  stated  that  consider- 
ably over  seventy-five  per  cent  of  those  engaged  in  trade,  fail  in 
the  course  of  their  career.  It  must  be  very  disagreeable  to 


FOR   MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  79 


be  obliged  to  call  a  meeting  of  creditors;  but  when  circum- 
stances render  it  necessary,  it  should  be  done  ere  it  is  too  late  to 
retrieve  one's  failing  fortunes.  No  honest  creditor  will  ever  treat 
an  honest  debtor  hardly,  who  is  frank  and  open,  the  community 
at  large,  have  respect  for  that  man,  who  shows  his  hand  fairly 
and  makes  a  truthful  statement. 

Recent  occurrences  show  the  folly  which  some  men  will  resort 
to,  hi  order  to  retrieve  then'  position, — and  who,  in  hopes  of 
avoiding  a  failure,  commit  a  thousand  tunes  greater  evil,  and  not 
only  sacrifice  then*  credit,  but  their  honor.  How  often  do 
we  hear  on  'change,  of  this  or  that  man  failing,  who,  the  day 
previous,  victimized  an  intimate  friend  by  exchanging  checks, 
or  borrowing  a  few  thousand  dollars.  This  robbing  Peter  to  pay 
Paul,  is  a  greater  sin  by  far,  than  allowing  a  note  to  be 
protested,  which  has  been  given  in  exchange  for  goods.  It  is 
not  a  rare  case  either,  to  find  that  a  merchant  will  sometimes 
enter  into  rash  speculations,  to  raise  money  to  relieve  himself 
from  embarrassments,  which  proves  only  temporary,  and  only 
tends  to  bury  him  deeper  hi  the  mire.  We  are  aware  that  some 
men  commit  these  errors,  in  the  hope  of  better  tunes  dawning, 
but  where  one  is  favored  by  a  freak  of  fortune,  twenty  find 
themselves  more  involved  than  before. 

These  evils  arise  in  a  great  measure  from  the  fear  that  some 
men  have  of  facing  trouble.  To  put  off"  from  to-day,  that  which 
must  inevitably  happen  to-morrow,  the  vilest  schemes  are  resorted 
to,  and  men  raise  money  at  a  sacrifice  of  principle,  integrity  and 
character.  If  such  a  prolongation  of  misery  brought  relief, 
it  could  not  be  wondered  at,  but  it  is  an  exception, 'rather  than  a 
rule,  that  it  only  renders  more  certain,  that  ruin  which  stares 
them  in  the  face.  Instead  of  standing  on  the  brink  of  the 
precipice,  and  saying,  "  Here,  gentlemen,  are  my  books,  here  is 


80  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


my  statement,  such  and  such  causes  have  brought  me  here,"  and 
commencing  anew,  they  plunge  into  the  vortex,  and,  having  lost 
the  confidence  of  their  fellow  men,  find  it  impossible  to  rise 
again. 

The  haste  to  be  rich,  is  urged  as  the  primary  cause  of  half  the 
failures.  A  resort  to  speculation  will  probably  take  the  balance. 
A  desire  to  be  considered  smart,  induces  many  young  men  to 
dabble  in  stocks,  but  the  chances*  are  about  equal  to  the  faro 
table.  A  legitimate  business  closely  attended  to  rarely  fails  to 
secure  a  profit.  It  will  rarely  fail  to  secure  wealth,  if  that  profit 
is  not  wasted  by  extravagance  or  profligacy.  It  is  in  Boston 
as  elsewhere,  that  young  merchants  live  up  to  their  incomes 
so  closely  that  they  have  nothing  to  fall  back  upon,  and  thus 
barter  jears  of  happiness  for  a  few  years  of  mistaken  gentility. 

38. 

IT  is  stated  by  BOECK,  in  his  "  Economy  of  Athens,"  that 
commercial  occupations  were  never  in  great  esteem  among 
the  ancient  Greeks.  No  person  of  ancient  nobility  ever  con- 
descended to  them,  although  conversely  a  manufacturer  might 
raise  himself  to  the  head  of  public  affairs,  such  as  Cleon,  Hyper- 
bolus,  and  others.  The  early  statesmen,  however,  encouraged 
industry,  especially  Solon,  Themistocles,  and  Pericles,  partly  with 
the  intention  of  improving  the  condition  of  the  lower  classes, 
and  partly  of  increasing  the  population  of  the  city ;  as  well 
as  advancing  the  cause  of  commerce,  and  of  manning  the  numer- 
ous fleets  by  which,  after  the  time  of  Themistocles,  the 
Athenians  held  the  mastery  of  the  sea.  And  it  was  this  circum- 
stance that  rendered  the  resident  aliens  indispensible  for  Athens, 
who  carried  on  manufactures  and  commerce  to  a  great  extent, 
and  were  bound  to  serve  in  the  fleet.  It  even  appears  that  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  81 


useful  arts  were  encouraged  by  honorary  rewards,  though  even  by 
these  means  they  could  not  gain  in  the  public  estimation.  There 
were  prizes  for  the  common  people,  for  which  the  higher 
ranks  did  not  compete  with  them.  At  the  same  time,  the 
respectable  citizens,  who  had  none  of  the  higher  aristocratical 
notions,  like  Pericles,  Alcibiades,  or  Callias,  the  son  of  Hippo- 
nicus,  whose  pride  yielded  in  nothing  to  the  haughtiness  of  the 
modern  nobility,  were  not  ashamed  of  superintending  extensive 
manufactories,  worked  at  their  own  expense.  The  inferior 
citizens  were  as  much  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  manual 
labor  as  the  poor  aliens  and  slaves.  It  was  not  until  after 
the  balance  had  been  turned  in  favor  of  the  aristocracy,  that 
measures  of  severity  were  brought  forward;  as,  for  example, 
Diophantus  proposed  that  all  the  manual  laborers  should  be  made 
public  slaves.  There  was  again  another  reason  why  no  restriction 
should  have  been  imposed  upon  the  freedom  of  industry,  viz. :  the 
little  importance  that  was  attached  to  it.  An  alien  was  allowed 
to  carry  on  any  trade,  although  he  was  prohibited  from  holding 
any  property  hi  land.  With  regard,  indeed,  to  the  sale  in  the 
market,  strangers  were  on  a  less  advantageous  footing  than 
natives,  as  they  were  obliged  to  pay  a  duty  for  permission  to 
expose  their  goods  there.  The  law  of  Solon,  that  men  should 
not  deal  in  ointments,  was  only  founded  on  principles  of  educa- 
tion, in  order  to  withdraw  men  from  womanish  labors — subse- 
quently, however,  it  became  a  dead  letter,  for  Eschines,  the 
philosopher,  had  a  manufactory  of  ointments. 

39. 

A  GENUINE  scoundrel  is  a  man  who,  by  his  sanctity,  has 
obtained  credit ;  and,  through  religious  professions,  keeps  back 
property  from  his  legitimate  creditors. 

4* 


82  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


40. 

AN  English  merchant   of  the  name   of  C ,  resided  in 

Canton,  and  Macao,  where  a  sudden  reverse  of  fortune  reduced 
him  from  a  state  of  affluence  to  the  greatest  necessity.  A 
Chinese  merchant,  named  Chinqua,  to  whom  he  had  formerly 
rendered  service,  gratefully  offered  him  an  immediate  loan  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  gentleman  accepted,  and  gave  his 
bond  for  the  amount.  This,  the  Chinese  immediately  threw  into 
the  fire,  saying,  "  When  you,  my  friend,  first  come  to  China,  I 
was  a  poor  man — you  took  me  by  the  hand;  and,  assisting  my 
honest  endeavors,  made  me  rich.  Our  destiny  is  now  reversed — 
I  see  you  poor,  while  I  am  blessed  with  affluence."  The  by- 
standers had  snatched  the  bond  from  the  flames.  The  gentle- 
man, sensibly  affected  by  such  generosity,  pressed  his  friend 
to  take  the  security,  which  he  did,  and  then  effectually  destroyed 
it.  The  disciple  of  Confucius,  beholding  the  increased  distress  it 
occasioned,  said  he  would  accept  of  his  watch,  or  any  little  valu- 
able, as  a  memorial  of  their  friendship.  The  gentleman  imme- 
diately presented  his  watch;  and  Chinqua,  in  return,  gave  him 
an  old  ir>n  seal,  saying,  "Take  this  seal — it  is  one  I  have  long 
used,  and  possesses  no  intrinsic  value;  but,  as  you  are  going 
to  India,  to  look  after  your  outstanding  concerns,  should  fortune 
further  '^ersecute  you,  draw  upon  me  for  any  sum  of  money  you 
may  need,  sign  it  with  your  own  hand,  and  seal  it  with  this 
signet,  and  I  will  pay  the  money." 

41. 

SELF-RELIANCE,  to  the  merchant,  and  indeed  to  all  who  would 
succeed  in  the  accomplishment  of  a  laudible  purpose  or  pursuit, 
is  indispensable.  It  was  this  trait,  perhaps,  more  than  any 
other,  that  enabled  an  Astor,  a  Girard,  a  Gray,  in  our  own 
country,  to  work  out  for  themselves  vast  fortunes — to  accumu- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  83 


late  millions.  An  eminent  writer  has  somewhere  said,  if  our 
young  men  miscarry  in  their  first  enterprise,  they  loose  all  heart. 
If  the  young  merchant  fails,  men  say  he  is  ruined.  If  the  finest 
genius  studies  hi  one  of  our  colleges,  and  is  not  installed  hi 
an  office  hi  one  year  afterwards,  it  seems  to  his  friends  and  to 
himself  that  he  is  right  in  being  disheartened,  and  in  complaining 
the  rest  of  his  life.  A  sturdy  Yankee  who  hi  turn  tries  all  the 
professions,  who  teams  it,  farms  it,  peddles,  keeps  a  school, 
preaches,  edits  a  newspaper,  goes  to  Congress,  buys  a  township, 
and  so  forth,  in  successive  years,  and  always,  like  a  cat,  falls  on 
his  feet,  is  worth  a  hundred  of  these  city  dolls.  He  walks 
abreast  with  his  days,  and  feels  no  shame  in  not  studying  a  pro- 
fession, for  he  does  not  postpone  his  life,  but  lives  already.  He 
has  .not  one  chance!  Let  a  stoic  arise  who  shall  reveal  the 
resources  of  man,  and  tell  men  they  are  not  leaning  willows,  but 
can  and  must  detach  themselves  ;  that,  with  the  exercise  of  self- 
trust,  new  powers  shall  appear  ;  that  a  man  is  the  word  made 
flesh,  born  to  shed  healing  to  the  nations  ;  that  he  should  be 
ashamed  of  our  compassion  ;  and  that  the  moment  he  acts  from 
himself,  tossing  the  laws,  the  books'  idolatries  and  customs,  out 
of  the  window,  we  pity  him  no  more,  but  thank  him  and  revere 
him — and  that  teacher  shall  .restore  the  life  of  man  to  splendor, 
and  make  his  name  dear  to  ah"  history.  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
a  greater  self-reliance — a  new  respect  for  the  divinity  in  man — 
must  work  a  revolution  hi  all  the  offices  and  relations  of  men  : 
hi  then*  religion ;  in  their  education ;  hi  their  pursuits  ;  their 
modes  of  living ;  then*  association ;  hi  their  property ;  in  their 
speculative  views. 

42. 

THE  honor  of  an  honest  man,  as  far  as  dollars  and  cents  goes, 
dies  when  he  dies — therefore,  honorable  conditions  hi  writing. 


84  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


43. 

"A  FRIEND  stepped  into  our  den,"  says  the  editor  of  the 
Philadelphia  United  States  Gazette,  "  to  have  a  good  hearty 
grumble  at  the  tunes,  and  to  predict  future  difficulties."  ]S"ow,  we 
know  very  well  all  the  difficulties  of  the  tunes ;  but  we  know 
they  might  be  worse,  and  despondency  will  make  them  so.  We 
feel  for,  indeed,  we  feel  with,  those  who  suffer,  and  therefore 
understand  the  grievances  of  our  neighbors.  We  inquired  of 
our  friend  how  he  was  situated — whether  he  was  inextricably 
involved;  and  learned  with  pleasure  that,  foreseeing,  he  had 
forearmed;  and  though  he  was  making  little — perhaps  rather 
outliving  his  net  profits — yet  he  was  comfortable,  because  safe. 
Still  he  exclaimed,  "What  are  we  all  to  do  ?  " 

"  Why,  what  have  you  all  to  do  ?  " 

"  There  are,"  said  he,  "  to  be  paid,  not  less  than  six  millions  of 
dollars! " 

"Awful!     What!  all  in  one  day?" 

"  Oh  no!  not  in  one  day,  but  in  this  season;  and  where  is  the 
money  to  come  from  ?  " 

"  Really,  I  do  not  know;  but  I  imagine  that  the  same  water 
which  floats  the  steamboat  at  Market-street,  is  used  by  the 
vessels  at  the  navy-yard.  Let  me  tell  you  a  story,  very  old  and 
very  common,  but  tolerably  applicable  to  the  subject  which 
occupies  your  mind.  One  day  there  was  trouble  at  the  great 
house-clock.  All  hands  had  come  to  a  dead  stand.  The  whole 
works  had  stopped.  This  excited  the  surprise  of  the  long 
minute-hand,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  bustling  about  at  a  rapid 
rate.  He,  therefore,  put  his  finger  down,  opened  the  little  door 
in  front,  and  asked  the  cause  of  the  delay.  He  found  the 
pendulum  in  the  dumps,  quite  gloomy,  and  at  a  stand  still. 

"  '  What  is  the  matter  below  ? '  asked  the  minute-hand. 


FOR   MEBCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  85 


"  '  I  am  disheartened,'  said  the  pendulum,  '  at  the  gloomy 
prospects.  I  have  been -looking  into  my  year's  engagements,  and 
find,  to  my  astonishment,  that  I  have  upwards  of  thirty  millions 
of  beats  to  make  this  year,  and  there  is  no  aid  to  be  obtained. 
I  must  do  it  all  myself.'  "  '  That  is  bad,  sure  enough,'  said  the 
minute-hand,  '  but  what  then  ? ' 

"  '  Why,'  said  the  pendulum,  '  finding  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  get  through  all  this,  I  determined  to  stop.' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  the  minute-hand  despondingly,  '  and  all  the  rest 
of  us  must  stop  in  consequence  of  your  troubles.' 

"This  dialogue  was  overheard  by  the  hour-hand,  which  was 
at  rest  among  '  the  little  ones  abow,'  and  so  he  called  down  to 
the  pendulum  : — 

" '  You  are  quite  too  fearful,'  said  the  hour-hand.  '  It  is 
neither  just  to  us,  nor  politic  with  regard  to  yourself,  to  take 
an  aggravated  view,  as  you  have  done,  of  your  labors  in  advance. 
You  may  have  more  to  do  than  some  of  the  rest  of  us,  but  you 
have  no  more  in  proportion;  and  you  will  find  that,  whatever 
number  of  beats  you  have  to  make  in  a  year,  you  have  only  one 
to  make  hi  a  second,  and  that  is  what  all  large  pendulums  have 
to  perform.  The  wheels  need  a  little  oiling,  and  I  think  the 
works  want  winding  up;  but  then  you  see  that,  in  the  hardest 
strain  we  have,  each  wheel  shares  with  the  other  the  extra  force; 
and  I  expect  every  day  to  hear  that  some  oil  has  been  applied  to 
ease  the  operation,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  door  will  be  kept 
a  little  closer,  to  keep  out  foreign  substances  that  clog  the  move- 
ments. Courage  and  perseverance,  with  a  little  co-operation, 
and  all  will  go  well.  Do  you  start  below,  we  above  will  keep 
all  hands  moving,  and  put  the  best  face  possible  upon  the 
affairs ;  and,  in  a  very  short  time,  we  shall  give  striking  evidence 
that  our  movements  are  right.' " 


86  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


44. 

"THE  Vale  of  Caldere  ;  or,  The  Past  and  Present;"  by 
WILLIAM  DEARDEN,  author  of  the  "  Star  Steer,"  etc.,  is  a  work 
having  many  merits.  "  Among  Mr.  Dearden's  favorites,"  says 
the  London  Economist,  "we  can  see  that  Thomas  Carlyle, 
Emerson,  and  Longfellow,  are  particularly  distinguished ;  and 
that  of  itself  indicates  a  mind  imbued  with  many  just  and  noble 
sentiments,  which  nothing  that  he  says  absolutely  belies."  "  The 
picture  I  have  drawn  of  commerce,"  says  Mr.  Dearden,  "  exhibits, 
I  am  aware,  its  harsher  features  ;  but,  in  thus  delineating  and 
holding  up  these  to  view,  I  hope  no  one  will  blame  me — for,  as 
a  wise  man  well  observes,  'it  is  in  general  more  profitable  to 
reckon  up  our  defects  than  to  boast  of  our  attainments.' "  There 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  what  the  "  wise  man  "  says  being  a  good 
rule  of  individual  conduct ;  but  it  is  no  justification  for  a  man  of 
genius,  education,  and  taste,  writing  a 'whole  book,  (and  not  a 
small  one, )  about  the  evils  and  vices  which  attend  society  in  its 
progress  towards  civilisation,  and  leaving  it  to  be  inferred,  as  far 
as  he  knows,  that  nothing  but  evil  and  vice  attends  it. 

The  poem  of  Mr.  Dearden  is  in  "six  books."  At  the  end  of 
Book  II.,  after  taking  a  rather  harsh,  but  perhaps  just  view  of 
the  labors  of  a  factory,  as  they  exist  hi  England,  he  apostro- 
phizes trade  as  follows  : — 

"  Genius  of  Trade !  such  are  the  sounds  that  cheer — 
Go  where  thou  wilt  —thy  leaden  heart  and  ear ! 
Look  at  thy  trophies ! — thousands  made  to  chew 
The  bread  of  pain,  to  feed  a  pampered  few, 
Whom  thou  hast  raised — because  to  thee  they  sold 
Conscience  and  virtue,  for  the  meed  of  gold — 
Far,  far  above  the  common  herd,  to  shine 
Immaculate,  adopted  sons  of  thine !" 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  87 


And  again,  we  have  at  page  163  of  Mr.  Dearden's  poem,  the 
following : — 

"  Oh  Trade!  where  are  the  blessings  in  thy  train, 
Which  thy  fond  votaries  laud  in  vaunting  strain  ? 
What  though  we  view,  where'er  our  eyes  we  turn, . 
Rich  bounties  showered  from  thy  too  partial  urn  ; 
For  every  boon  thou  hast  conferred,  we  find 
A  thousand  evils  poured  on  human  kind ! 

•  ***•* 

Why  is  the  owner  of  yon  mansion  made 

To  lord  o'er  others  whom  he  once  obeyed  ? 

Is  his  plebian  blood,  like  gold  that's  tried 

Thrice  in  the  fiery  furnace,  purified 

From  all  alloys  that  taint  the  lowly  born, 

Whom  his  proud  heart,  forsooth,  affects  to  scorn? 

Did  lofty  talents,  and  superior  sense, 

This  mushroom  lordling  raise  to  eminence  ? 

Did  he  become  a  magnate  in  the  land 

By  means  that  would  not  make  him  blush  to  stand, 

With  soul  unscathed  by  conscience'  withering  ban, 

In  the  dread  presence  of  an  honest  man  ? 

Ah  no ! — a  little  care  and  cunning,  joined 

With  little  necessary  frauds,  that  find 

Free  toleration  by  the  liberal  law, 

Which  all,  who  please,  from  Trade's  great  Koran  draw  : 

A  lucky  turn  of  fortune  ;  a  discreet 

And  frugal  husbandry  of  all  the  sweet 

Gold-droppings  from  her  copious  honeycomb  ; 

A  little  schooling  of  the  Rib  at  home 

In  economic  arts  and  trade-finesse  ; 

A  little  leaning  to  the  wrong,  to  bless 

The  eager  pocket,  though  it  stings  the  soul ; 

A  little  alms  to  any  creed — in  cowl 

Or  cassock  clad — if,  in  return,  'twill  win 

A  golden  unction  for  the  trifling  sin : 


88  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


A  little  dabbling  in  young  orphans'  blood  ; 
A  little  pinching  of  the  scanty  food 
Earned  by  the  wo-worn  widow  ;  a  complete 
Forgetfulness  of  crippled  Eld,  unmeet — 
Now  that  his  days  of  usefulness  are  o'er — 
To  beg  a  pittance  at  his  master's  door. 
These  are  the  means  by  which  this  upstart  came 
To  wealth,  importance,  and  commercial  fame !" 

This  view  of  trade  is  not  very  flattering  ;  but  it  is  well  to  view 
matters  in  which  we  are  deeply  interested  from  all  points,  or  all 
sides  of  a  "  look-out." 

45, 

GOYDER,  in  his  work  entitled  "  Acquisitiveness,  its  Uses  and 
Abuses," pays  a  just  tribute  to  the  Society  of  Friends  : — "If  I 
wished  to  point  to  a  model  where  wealth  seems  to  have  been 
accumulated  for  the  sole  purpose  of  doing  good,  I  would  hold  up 
to  admiration  the  people  called  Quakers.  They  are  wealthy  to 
a  man  ;  and  where,  throughout  Christendom,  in  its  varied  rami- 
fications, is  there  a  body  of  people  who  have  done  so  much  good, 
and  with  so  much  disinterestedness  ?  not  choosing  their  own  con- 
nection as  the  sole  recipients  of  then*  bounty,  but  extending  it  to 
every  shade  of  religious  creed.  In  the  proper  and  legitimate  uses 
of  wealth,  I  present  this  people  as  a  model  worthy  of  general  imi- 
tation. The  late  venerated  Richard  Reynolds,  of  Bristol,  who 
had  amassed  a  princely  fortune  in  the  iron  trade,  looked  upon 
himself  merely  as  the  steward  of  the  Almighty.  His  entire 
income,  after  deducting  the  moderate  expenses  of  his  family,  was 
devoted  to  benevolence  ;  and  he  thought  his  round  of  duty  still 
incomplete,  unless  he  devoted  his  time  likewise.  He  deprived 
himself  of  slumber  to  watch  beside  the  bed  of  sickness  and  pain, 
and  to  administer  consolation  to  the  heart  bruised  with  affliction. 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  89 


Oil  one  occasion,  he  wrote  to  a  friend  in  London,  requesting  to 
know  what  object  of  charity  remained,  stating  that  he  had  not 
spent  the  whole  of  his  income.  His  friend  informed  him  of  a 
number  of  persons  confined  in  prison  for  small  debts.  He  paid 
the  whole,  and  swept  the  miserable  mansion  of  its  distressed  ten- 
ants. Most  of  his  donations  were  enclosed  in  blank  covers, 
bearing  the  modest  signature  of  'A  Friend.'  A  lady  once 
applied  to  him  hi  behalf  of  an  orphan,  saying,  '  When  he  is  old 
enough,  I  will  teach  him  to  name  and  thank  his  benefactor. 
'Nay,'  replied  the  good  man,  'thou  art  wrong.  We  do  not 
thank  the  clouds  for  rain.  Teach  him  to  look  higher,  and  to 
thank  Him  who  giveth  both  the  clouds  and  the  rain.  My  talent 
is  the  meanest  of  al^  talents — a  h'ttle  sordid  dust ;  but  as  the 
man  hi  the  parable  was  accountable  for  his  one  talent,  so  am  I 
accountable  to  the  great  Lord  of  all.' " 

46. 

EDWARD  COLSTON,  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  became  a  very 
eminent  East  India  merchant,  prior  to  the  incorporation  of 
the  East  India  Company,  and  had  forty  sail  of  ships  of  his  own, 
with  immense  riches  flowing  hi  upon  him.  He  still  remained 
uniform  in  his  charitable  disposition,  distributing  many  thousand 
pounds  to  various  charities  hi  and  about  London,  besides  private 
gifts  in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom.  In  the  year  1708,  he 
instituted  a  very  magnificent  school  in  St.  Augustine's-back, 
hi  Bristol,  which  cost  him  eleven  thousand  pounds  hi  the  building, 
and  endowed  the  same  with  between  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  one  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds  per  annum,  forever.  He 
likewise  gave  ten  pounds  for  apprenticing  every  boy,  and  for 
twelve  years  after  his  death  ten  pounds  to  put  them  into  business. 
It  has  been  frequently  reported  that  his  private  charities  far 


90  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


exceeded  those  in  public.  "  We  have  heard,"  says  the  Bristol 
Eng.)  Jouriial,  "that  one  of  his  ships  trading  to  the  East 
Indies  had  been  missing  upwards  of  three  years,  and  was  supposed 
to  be  destroyed  at  sea,  but  at  length  she  arrived,  richly  laden. 
When  his  principal  clerk  brought  him  the  report  of  her  arrival, 
and  of  the  riches  on  board,  he  said,  as  she  was  totally  given  up 
for  lost,  he  would  by  no  means  claim  any  right  to  her;  therefore 
he  ordered  the  ship  and  merchandise  to  be  sold,  and  the  produce 
thereof  to  be  apph'ed  towards  the  relief  of  the  needy,  which 
directions  were  immediately  carried  into  execution.  Another 
singular  instance  of  his  tender  consciousness  for  charity  was 
at  the  age  of  forty,  when  he  entertained  some  thoughts  of 
changing  his  condition.  He  paid  his  a<Mresses  to  a  lady,  but 
being  very  timorous  lest  he  should  be  hindered  in  his  pious  and 
charitable  designs,  he  was  determined  to  make  a  Christian  trial 
of  her  temper  and  disposition,  and  therefore,  one  morning,  filled 
his  pockets  with  gold  and  silver,  in  order  that,  if  any  object 
presented  itself  in  the  course  of  their  tour  over  London  bridge, 
he  might  satisfy  his  intentions.  While  they  were  walking  near 
St.  Magnus  church,  a  woman  in  extreme  misery,  with  twins 
in  her  lap,  sat  begging;  and,  as  he  and  his  intended  lady  were 
arm-in-arm,  he  beheld  the  wretched  object,  put  his  hand  in  his 
pocket,  and  took  out  a  handful  of  gold  and  silver,  casting  it  into 
the  poor  woman's  lap.  The  lady,  being  greatly  alarmed  at  such 
profuse  generosity,  colored  prodigiously;  so  that,  when  they  were 
gone  a  little  further  towards  the  bridge-foot,  she  turned  to  him, 
and  said,  '  Sir,  do  you  know  what  you  did  a  few  minutes  ago  ?' 
'  Madame/  replied-Mr.  Colston,  '  I  never  let  my  right  hand  know 
what  my  left  hand  doeth.'  He  then  took  his  leave  of  her,  and 
for  this  reason  never  married  to  the  day  of  his  death,  although 
he  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-five." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  91 


47. 

IN  November,  1844,  the  Hon.  THOMAS  G.  CART,  an  eminent 
merchant  of  Boston,  delivered  a  lecture  before  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association  of  that  city,  in  which,  besides  inquiring  into 
the  causes  of  frequent  failure  among  men  of  business,  he  endeav- 
ored to  show  that  the  encouragement  of  the  fine  arts,  hi  a 
republic,  depended  on  the  security  of  property.  The  extracts 
below  refer  to  a  merchant  of  New  York,  who  has  done  some- 
thing for  the  fine  arts  hi  this  country,  and  who  bequeathed  a 
beautiful  example  in  his  life,  for  the  imitation  of  the  Man  of 
Trade,  and,  indeed,  all  who  grow  up  under  a  government  h'ke 
ours. 

"  Instances  can  be  adduced  to  show  that,  even  in  countries 
where  the  arts  have  been  brought  to  the  highest  degree  of 
perfection,  genius  has  been  compelled  to  struggle  with  harassing 
want ;  and  others  can  be  found  which  indicate  that,  even  among 
tts,  the  taste,  the  liberality,  apd  the  ability  that  are  necessary  for 
the  reward  of  the  artist,  have  already  made  their  appearance, 
and  given  promise  of  vigorous  growth.  One  instance  on  each 
side  will  serve  as  an  illustration. 

"It  is  said  that  the  celebrated  painter,  Coreggio,  in  Italy, 
received  but  forty  ducats  for  the  picture  of  Night,  (or  Dawn,) 
which  forms,  now,  one  of  the  chief  attractions  hi  the  great  gal- 
lery at  Dresden  ;  and  that  such  was  his  disappointment  and 
grief  at  the  inadequate  price,  and  the  inconvenient  mode  of  pay- 
ment which  he  was  forced  to  accept  for  another  of  his  greatest 
productions,  that  he  died,  shortly  afterward,  hi  misery. 

"  About  twelve  years  since,  a  favorite  American  artist  who 
was  then  pursuing  his  studies  hi  Italy,  received  from  Mr.  Luman 
Reed,  a  grocer  hi  New  Yock,  the  dimensions  of  a  room  in  the 


92  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


house  which  he  was  then  building  for  himself,  with  a  request  that 
he  would  prepare  to  fill  the  panels  with  such  paintings  of  his  own 
as  he  should  design,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  The 
painter  was  just  then  perplexed  by  accounts  of  pressing  want 
from  those  who  were  dependent  upon  him  at  home,  and  had 
found  himself  obliged,  with  deep  regret,  to  prepare  for  an  imme- 
diate return  to  this  country.  The  magnitude  of  the  commission 
which  he  then  received,  and  the  liberality  of  the  terms,  at  once 
relieved  him  from  difficulty,  and  enabled  him  to  remain  in  Italy 
as  long  as  he  had  intended,  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the 
models  of  the  great  masters  there  ;  and  when  the  work  which  he 
was  then  desired  to  undertake,  was  completed,  the  three  thou- 
sand dollars  had  been  extended  to  five  thousand.  Here,  then, , 
was  an  instance  of  such  support  to  the  fine  arts  as  they  are  likely 
to  receive  in  the  United  States. 

"It  is  very  probable  that  for  the  same  sum  of  money,  pictures 
of  greater  merit,  and  certainly  of  more  celebrity,  might  have  been 
purchased  from  the  works  of  the  old  masters.  But  here  was 
vital  succor  to  the  living  artist,  encouragement  to  continue  his 
efforts,  when  it  was  most  acceptable.  It  was  such  aid  as  would 
have  gladdened  the  heart  of  Coreggio  ;  perhaps  have  prolonged 
his  life,  and  enlarged  the  number  of  the  treasures  which  he  left 
to  the  world.  It  was  an  act  corresponding  to  what  is  called 
patronage  in  other  countries  ;  and  yet  it  was  not  patronage.  It 
was  free  from  ah1  claim  of  the  irksome  deference  that  is  usually 
felt  to  be  due  to  the  patron.  It  was  performed  in  the  spirit 
which  cordially  acknowledges  a  full  equivalent,  in  the  work, 
for  the  price  paid  ;  and  which  leaves  the  spirit  of  the  artist 
unshackled  by  dependence.  It  was  the  act,  too,  of  one  whose 
life,  as  I  know,  from  personal  acquaintance  and  observation,  was 
in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  it ;  and  I  avail  myself  of  this  oppor- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  93 


tunity  to  bear  testimony  to  his  worth,  and  to  present  his  charac- 
ter for  imitation. 

Mr.  Reed  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  bnt  engaged  in  business 
in  New  York.  By  industry,  perseverance,  and  steady  adherence 
to  sound  principles  of  action,  he  became  one  of  the  foremost  in 
the  highly  respectable  class  to  which  he  belonged.  He  grew 
gradually  rich  ;  and  was,  at  length,  enabled  to  build  for  himself 
an  expensive  house  in  an  eligible  situation,  and  to  indulge  the 
taste  for  beauty  that  seemed  natural  to  him,  in  ornamenting  it. 
His  interest  hi  the  arts,  as  it  grew,  was  accompanied  by  sympa- 
thy for  the  artist.  I  had  known  him  well,  myself,  during  a  resi- 
dence of  ten  years  in  New  York,  and  was  surprised  one  day  by 
a  visit  from  him  in  Boston.  After  a  cordial  greeting,  I  inquired 
after  the  state  of  the  tea-market,  which  had  been  the  great  field 
of  his  success.  He  told  me,  with  a  smile,  that,  although  he  was 
as  active  there  as  ever,  he  had  come  on  other  matters  ;  and  that 
he  wanted  my  aid  to  procure  for  a  young  artist  whom  he  wished 
to  encourage,  permission  to  copy,  at  the  Athena5um,  the  original 
sketch  by  Stuart  of  the  head  of  Washington,  which  is  preserved 
by  the  trustees  with  particular  care  ;  meaning,  he  said,  to  pre- 
sent the  copy  to  a  public  society  in  New  York.  The  permission 
was  readily  obtained,  and  I  have  since  understood  that,  after 
that  was  arranged,  he  went  into  the  tea-market  here  with  suffi- 
cient advantage  to  provide  a  liberal  compensation  for  the  young 
artist  while  he  was  at  work  ;  thus  making  trade  subservient  to 
taste.  He  died  shortly  afterward,  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  a 
collection  of  paintings,  engravings,  shells,  and  other  objects  of 
beauty  and  interest,  altogether  so  valuable,  that  it  is  proposed 
to  make  them  the  commencement  of  a  public  gallery  in  New 
York  ;  and  leaving,  too,  an  establishment  in  business  conducted 
on  principles  so  secure  that  it  has  been  the  school  of  industrious 


94  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


success  to  younger  men,  who  owe  their  prosperity  mainly  to 
him. 

"We  have  much  to  do,  no  doubt,  before  we  can  raise  the 
standards  of  taste  among  us  to  the  highest  elevation  ;  but,  what- 
ever may  be  the  comparative  merit  of  the  collection  that  I  speak 
of,  it  serves  as  proof  of  the  point  that  we  wish  to  establish.  As 
the  powers  of  the  artist  are  confined  to  no  one  class,  but  are 
occasionally  developed  in  all,  so  the  love  of  beauty  in  color, 
in  proportion,  and  expression,  exists  everywhere  among  us,  and 
seeks  gratification  as  the  means  of  indulging  it  are  found.  Its 
strength  will  depend  on  the  preference  tha,t  we  may  cherish  for 
objects  really  deserving  of  admiration,  over  the  indulgences  of 
coarse  and  sordid  inclinations.  But  its  culture  has  commenced, 
and  with  good  promise.  Beside  the  readiness  with  which  the 
works  of  Allston  and  other  artists  have  been  purchased,  we 
have  recently  had  additional  evidence  of  this  in  our  own  com- 
munity. 

"  Owing  to  the  growth  of  Boston,  and  change  of  character  in 
some  parts  of  it  from  that  of  quiet  residence  to  the  bustle  of  busi- 
ness, it  lately  became  necessary  to  raise  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars,  in  order  to  remove  the  Athenaeum  from  where  it  is,  to  a 
more  eligible  situation.  As  the  capitalists  among  us  had  made 
large  donations  to  the  institution  heretofore,  it  was  thought  but 
just  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  public  now,  and  ascertain  whether 
a  spirit  exists,  in  the  community  at  large,  to  support  such  an 
institution  ;  and  it  was  decided  that  no  further  donations  should 
be  asked  for,  but  that  shares  should  be  offered  for  sale.  They 
have  all  been  taken.  The  money  was  provided  with  ease,  by  the 
subscriptions  of  various  classes,  comprising  the  mechanic  as  well 
as  the  man  of  fortune  ;  and  an  intimation  is  given  that  more  can 
be  had,  if  desired,  from  those  who  are  willing  to  receive  payment 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  95 


for  what  they  advance,  in  the  right  of  access  to  books,  and  to  a 
gallery  of  paintings  and  statuary. 

"  The  fine  arts,  then,  are  likely  to  receive  such  support  among 
us,  that  no  egregious  failure  in  respect  to  them  will  be  eventually 
charged  upon  us,  if  we  are  likely  to  have  the  means  to  encourage 
them." 

48. 

THE  impressions  made  on  our  boyhood  are  the  strongest  we 
ever  receive,  and  remain  with  us  even  to  old  age  as  fresh  and 
vivid  as  at  the  first.  During  our  clerkship  we  form  opinions  of 
men  and  things  which  no  after  circumstances  can  eradicate.  A 
boy  when  he  sees  any  inconsistency  of  character  in  another, 
makes  no  allowance  for  circumstances;  he  judges  only  the  naked 
fact,  and  condemns  or  approves  accordingly.  I  never  knew  a 
man  who  stood  well  in  the  community,  of  whom  his  clerks 
thought  meanly,  and  hence  I  would  rather  have  the  good  opinion 
of  my  clerk  than  a  stranger's,  for  if  less  critical,  it  is  more 
honest  and  true.  I  recollect  being  made  a  confidant  hi  the 
secrets  of  two  individuals  when  a  boy,  which  gave  me  a 
contempt  for  their  characters  that  I  could  never  get  rid  of,  and 
if  brought  in  contact  in  business  with  them  now,  I  should  always 
suspect  their  honesty.  They  were  heated  politicians,  with  so 
hearty  a  contempt  for  John  Bull,  that  taking  their  own  word 
for  it,  they  would  not  so  much  as  eat  with  a  knife  and  fork 
of  English  manufacture,  if  they  could  avoid  it.  During  the 
war,  the  English  had  possession  of  Castine,  at  the  head  of 
Penobscot  Bay,  and  smuggling  English  goods  from  that  place 
into  the  country  was  extensively  practised.  The  temptation  was 
too  great  for  the  cupidity  of  our  two  republicans,  and  fairly 
overcame  all  then*  scruples.  I  lived  at  that  tune  in  an  eastern 


96  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


town,  and  one  bitter  cold  night  in  Februaiy,  I  was  called  from 
my  bed  by  two  men  whom  I  never  knew  before,  at  two  o'clock, 
to  go  and  receive  several  sleigh  loads  of  smuggled  goods,  which, 
by  direction  of  my  employer,  I  took  into  the  cellar,  through 
a  back  way,  in  the  store  where  I  was  a  clerk,  and  secreted  them 
carefully. 

One  of  the  sleighs  was  loaded  with  hardware,  and  in  crossing 
the  ferry  over  the  Kennebeck,  they  met  with  a  sad  accident. 
The  only  ferry-boat  was  a  large  flat  gondola.  "When  they 
arrived  on  the  opposite  side,  intending  to  stop  for  some  refresh- 
ments, they  drove  the  sleighs  out  of  the  gondola,  except  the 
hindmost  one,  which  being  loaded  with  the  hardware  was 
very  heavy  and  tipped  the  boat  very  much.  This  was  permitted 
to  remain,  and  while  they  were  regaling  themselves,  the  tide 
rose,  overflowed  the  sides  of  the  boat,  and  sank  it.  The  goods 
were  of  course  wet.  Among  them  was  a  package  of  sew- 
ing needles,  and  being  accustomed  to  handling  such  goods, 
our  republicans  employed  me  to  open,  dry,  and  re-pack  them 
in  emery,  which  I  did  very  carefully,  at  the  expense  of  several 
days'  labor.  Needles  were  five  times  as  dear  then  as  now,  so 
that  the  case  was  valued  at  some  hundreds  of  dollars,  which  but 
for  my  care  and  industry  would  have  been  spoiled  entirely.  And 
one  day  when  a  custom-house  officer  came  into  the  store  to  search 
for  smuggled  goods,  I  showed  him  every  place  in  the  store 
except  where  they  were.  The  goods  were  delivered  out  again 
and  sent  in  small  parcels  to  Boston  and  New  York  for  sale. 
T^he  part  I  had  taken  and  the  value  of  my  services  led  me 
to  expect  a  generous  reward,  and  I  congratulated  myself  with 
the  anticipated  profits  of  fidelity  to  the  trust  reposed  in  me. 
When  the  last  package  of  goods  was  removed,  one  of  the 
smugglers  came  to  me  and  said:  "  You  are  a  capital  little  fellow; 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  97 


if  I  had  you  in  my  store  you  would  be  worth  your  weight  in 
gold.     Always  be  as  faithful,  and  you  will  always  be  trusted." 

Expectation  was  now  on  tiptoe;  I  would  not  have  given  a  six- 
pence to  insure  a  twenty  dollar  bill  in  my  hand  the  next  moment, 
but  like  all  high  worldly  hopes  mine  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. The  republican  smuggler  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket 
and  solemnly  drew  forth  an  American  half-dollar.  "  That,"  said 
he,  "is  the  real  coin,  the  true  American  eagle;  keep  it,  and 
be  sure  you  always  avoid  an  Englishman  as  you  would  poison." 
He  took  his  valise  in  his  hand  and  walked  towards  the  stage 
office — I  looked  after  him  till  he  was  out  of  sight;  and  his 
gait,  form,  and  figure,  to  the  smallest  outline,  are  as  fresh  in 
memory  now  as  at  that  moment,  and  the  contempt  I  then  felt 
for  him  has  never  been  effaced.  I  have  met  him  often  in  the 
streets  of  New  York ;  he  does  not  know  me,  but  I  never  passed 
him  without  laughing,  though  I  have  kept  his  secret  to  this 
day. 

/     The  morals  which  I  would  draw  from  this  short  story,  are,  I 
I  first,  always  make  a  bargain  for  your  services  beforehand ;  never  I 
expect  a  sense  of  justice  in  a  man  whom  you   know  to    be  / 
dishonest  in  anything;  never  trust  a  man's  patriotism  who  talka 
loudly  in  politics. 

49. 

WHERE  sails  the  ship?    It  leads  the  Tynan  forth, 
For  the  rich  amber  of  the  liberal  North. 
Be  kind,  ye  seas — winds,  lend  your  gentlest  wing, 
May,  in  each  creek,  sweet  wells  restoring  spring ! 
To  you,  ye  gods,  belongs  the  merchant!     O'er 
The  waves,  his  sails  the  wide  world's  goods  explore  ; 
And,  all  the  while,  wherever  waft  the  gales, 
The  wide  world's  goods  sails  with  him  as  he  sails! 
5 


98  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 

50. 

THE  Hon.  ROBERT  C.  WIXTHROP  in  an  address  delivered  in 
1846,  before  the  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  Boston,  illus- 
trated the  importance  of  mercantile  asssociations,  which  are  so 
admirably  adapted  to  prepare  their  members  for  the  future 
merchants  of  the  country;  "  those,  who  in  the  progress  of  tune, 
are  to  take  the  places  of  the  intelligent,  the  enterprising,  the 
wealthy  and  honorable  men,  who  now  carry  on  the  vast  foreign 
and  domestic  trade  "  of  our  great  commercial  cities. 

"  If  there  be  a  class  of  institutions  more  important  than  any 
or  all  others,  to  the  moral  character  of  our  community,  it  is  that 
which  furnishes  entertainment  and  employment  during  .the  even- 
ings— the  long  winter,  and  the  short  summer  evenings,  too — for 
young  men;  and  more  especially  for  those,  who  either  have  no 
homes  to  which  they  may  resort,  or  for  whom  the  influences 
of  the  paternal  roof  have  been  in  any  way  paralized.  Libraries 
and  reading-rooms  for  the  merchants'  clerks  and  the  mechanics' 
apprentices  of  our  city,  numerous  enough  and  spacious  enough  to 
accommodate  them  all,  and  furnished  with  every  temptation 
which  the  amplest  endowments  can  supply  ;  these  are  among  the 
most  effective  instruments  which  can  be  devised,  for  advancing 
our  highest  moral  and  social  interests,  and  are  entitled  to  the 
most  liberal  encouragement  of  all  true  philanthropists.  /It  is  not 
enough  that  the  tippling  shops  and  gambling  tables  are  broken 
up.  There  is  mischief  still  for  idle  minds  to  devise,  and  for  idle 
hands  to  do.  Innocent  entertainment  and  useful  occupation  must 
be  supplied,  and  supplied  with  some  circumstance  of  interest  and 
attraction,  and  fascination,  if  possible,  or  you  have  only  driven 
dissipation  and  vice  from  the  public  haunt  to  the  private  hiding 
place,  where  they  will  lose  nothing  of  their  grossness  or  their 
guilt,  by  losing  all  their  apprehension  of  exposure. )  And  when 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  99 


the  cheering  spectacle  is  exhibited  of  the  young  men  of  the  city, 
associating  themselves  for  this  great  end  of  their  own  self- 
defence;  organizing  themselves  not  into  a  company,  like  that 
recently  instituted  by  the  merchants'  clerks  of  London,  for  mak- 
ing up  to  their  employers  out  of  a  common  stock,  the  losses 
which  may  result  from  their  own  annual,  ascertained,  average  of 
fraud  and  roguery,  but  into  a  company  to  insure  themselves 
against  the  vices  and  immoralities  and  idleness  from  which  those 
losses  and  those  frauds  flow  as  from  their  fountain — what 
heart  can  refuse  them  its  sincerest  sympathy,  what  tongue  its 
most  encouraging  word,  what  hand  its  most  efficient  aid  ? 

"If  there  be  an  appeal  for  sympathy  and  encouragement 
which  no  patriotic  philanthropic  breast  can  resist,  it  is  that  of 
young  men  struggling  against  the  temptations  which  beset  their 
path,  and  striving  to  prepare  themselves,  intellectually  and 
morally,  for  discharging  the  duties  which  are  about  to  devolve 
on  their  maturer  life.  And  if  there  be  a  spectacle  calculated  to 
fill  every  such  breast  with  joy,  and  to  reward  a  thousand  fold 
those  who  may  have  contributed  in  any  way  to  the  result,  it 
is  that  of  young  men  who  have  thus  striven  and  struggled  with 
success.  There  is  a  name  in  history.  It  is  associated  with  some 
of  the  proudest  achievements  of  the  proudest  empire  of  the 
world.  It  has  been  shouted  along  the  chariot-ways  of  imperial 
Rome  on  occasions  of  her  most  magnificent  triumphs.  Whole 
volumes  have  been  filled  with  the  brilliant  acts  which  have 
illustrated  that  name  in  three  successive  generations.  But  there 
is  a  little  incident  which  takes  up  hardly  ten  lines  on  the  historic 
page,  which  has  invested  it  with  a  charm  higher  and  nobler  than 
all  these.  The  Sybils,  we  are  told,  had  prophesied  that  the  Bona 
Dea  should  be  introduced  into  Rome  by  the  best  man  among  the 
Romans.  The  senate  was  accordingly  busied  to  pass  judgment 


100  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


who  was  the  best  man  in  the  city.  And  it  is  no  small  tribute 
to  the  Roman  virtue  of  that  day,  that  all  men  are  said  to  have 
been  more  ambitious  to  get  the  victory  in  that  dispute,  than 
if  they  had  stood  to  be  elected  to  the  highest  and  most  lucrative 
offices  and  honors  within  the  gift  of  the  Senate  or  the  people. 
The  Senate  at  last  selected  PUBLIUS  SCIPIO;  of  whom  the  only 
record  is,  that  he  was  the  nephew  of  Cneus,  who  was  killed  in 
Spain,  and  that  he  was  a  young  man,  who  had  never  attained  to 
that  lowest  of  all  the  public  honors  of  the  empire,  for  which  it 
was  only  necessary  for  him  to  have  reached  the  age  of  two-and- 
twenty  years.  We  may  admire — we  must  admit — the  resistless 
energy,  the  matchless  heroism,  of  those  two  thunderbolts  of  war 
— Scipio,  the  conqueror  of  Hannibal,  and  Scipio,  the  destroyer 
of  Carthage.  But  who  does  not  feel,  that  this  little  story  has 
thrown  around  that  name  a  halo  of  peerless  brilliancy;  yes,  one 

Which  shall  new  luster  boast, 
When  Monarch's  gems  and  victors'  wreaths 

Shall  hleud  in  common,  dust  I  " 

% 

51. 

ELIHU  BURRITT,  the  Learned  Blacksmith,  furnishes  some  im- 
portant statements  in  relation  to  the  expenses  of  war,  that,  to 
say  nothing  of  its  morality  or  humanity,  should  be  sufficient  to  deter 
governments  and  men  of  common  sense  from  ever  engaging  in  it. 

In  1835,  a  year  of  great  commercial  prosperity,  the  value  of 
all  the  British  and  Irish  produce  and  manufactures  exported 
from  the  United  Kingdom,  was  two  hundred  and  eight  millions 
two  hundred  and  thirty-seven  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars.  The  appropriations  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  of 
the  British  war  debt,  and  for  the  support  of  the  Army,  Ord- 
nance, and  Navy,  during  the  current  year,  amount  to  two 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  101 


hundred  and  twenty-five  millions  four  hundred  and  three  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars  !  1  Think  of  that !  The  war-expenses,  in 
the  time  of  peace,  exceeding  by  nearly  twenty  millions  of  dollars 
per  annum,  all  that  the  human  and  iron  machinery  of  that  great 
kingdom  can  produce  beyond  its  home  consumption ! !  And 
now  there  is  to  be  a  famine  there,  and  the  guilty  policy  that 
taxes  the  very  air  breathed  by  the  poor,  to  pay  these  war 
expenses,  has  locked  up  British  ports  against  the  Egyptian 
granaries  of  the  world,  leaving  those  hungry  millions  to  covet 
swine's  food  in  the  sight  of  interdicted  abundance. 

The  mercantile  shipping  of  the  civilized  world  amounts  to 
about  eight  millions  of  tons,  which  is  worth,  new  and  old,  thirty 
dollars  per  ton,  and  netts,  clear  of  interest,  insurance,  etc.,  ten 
per  cent.,  or  twenty-four  millions  of  dollars  per  annum.  Tht 
appropiiation  to  the  British  Nary  for  the  current  year  is  thirty- 
three  millions  six  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  two  hundred 
dollars  ! !  Is  not  this  a  sober  fact  ?  that  the  annual  expense  of 
the  nation's  navy  exceeds  the  nett  profit  of  all  the  mercantile 
shipping  owned  by  the  civilized  world  ? 

The  war-debts  of  the  European  nations  amount  to  ten  thou- 
sand millions  of  dollars.  It  would  require  the  labor  of  four 
millions  of  men,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum  for 
each  man,  to  pay  the  interest  of  this  sum  at  six  per  cent.  To 
pay  the  principal,  it  would  be  necessary  to  levy  a  tax  of  at  least 
TEN  DOLLARS  on  every  inhabitant  of  the  globe  !  Another  fact, 
rendering  this  more  impressive,  may  be  found  in  the  "  scrap  of 
curious  information,"  that  no  heathen  nations  are  in  arrears  for 
the  butcheries  they  have  perpetrated  on  the  human  race.  They 
pay  cash  down  for  all  that  is  done  for  the  devil  under  their 
hands.  Christian  nations  alone  "go  on  tick"  for  that  kind  of 
service. 


102  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


From  March  4th,  1189,  to  June  30th,  1814,  our  government 
expended  on  the  War  Department  six  hundred  and  sixty-three 
millions  four  hundred  and  thirty-eight  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty-one  dollars.  The  interest  on  this  sum,  at  six  per  cent, 
would  build  Whitney's  great  railroad  from  the  lakes  to  the 
Pacific,  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles  in  length,  at  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  per  mile ;  and  thus  erect  a  highway  for  the 
commerce  and  communion  of  the  family  of  nations,  which  should 
be  reckoned  in  all  coming  time  one  of  the  greatest  enterprises 
that  ever  blessed  the  race. 

52. 

MR.  followed  up  his  business  with  an  energy  and  an 

ardor  which  were  remarkable,  even  among  the  merchants  of 
London.  The  seas  were  covered  with  his  ships;  the  whole  earth 
was  embraced  in  his  speculations.  His  name  was  familiar  among 
merchants  over  all  the  globe;  and  his  signature  to  an  obligation 
was  as  current  in  value  as  the  coined  money  of  a  crowned  king. 
His  income  more  resembled  the  revenue  of  a  state  than  the 
income  of  a  private  gentleman ;  and  by  the  influence  of  his  'wealth, 
he  was  a  power  in  himself,  to  which  the  governments  of  king- 
doms paid  deference,  and  to  whom  they  applied  in  their  pecuniary 
emergencies  as  to  one  whose  decision  was  able  to  precipitate  or 
prolong  the  war  or  peace  of  empires.  With  all  this,  instead  of 
growing  hard  and  covetous  with  the  increase  of  wealth — an 
effect  which  it  is  sorrowful  to  observe  riches  too  often  produce — 
he  became  more  kindly  and  affable  ;  his  heart  grew  more 
compassionate  towards  the  wants  and  necessities  of  his  fellow 
creatures;  his  benevolence  increased  with  his  means  of  doing 
good ;  so  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  was  as  popular  among  the 
poor  as  he  was  reverenced  by  the  rich,  and  esteemed  by  the  wise 
and  good. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  103 


53. 

A  MAX  of  business  should  be  able  to  fix  his  attention  on  details, 
and  be  ready  to  give  every  kind  of  argument  a  hearing.  This 
will  not  encumber  him,  for  he  must  have  been  practised  before- 
hand in  the  exercise  of  his  intellect,  and  be  strong  in  principles. 
One  man  collects  materials  together,  and  there  they  remain, 
a  shapeless  heap ;  another,  possessed  of  method,  can  arrange 
what  he  has  collected ;  but  such  a  man  as  I  would  describe, 
by  the  aid  of  principles,  goes  farther,  and  builds  with  his  mate- 
rials. 

He  should  be  courageous.  The  courage,  however,  required  in 
civil  affairs,  is  that  which  belongs  rather  to  the  able  commander 
than  the  mere  soldier.  But  any  kind  of  courage  is  service- 
able. 

Besides  a  stout  heart,  he  should  have  a  patient  temperament, 
and  a  vigorous  but  disciplined  imagination  ;  and  then  be  will 
plan  boldly,  and  with  large  extent  of  view,  execute  calmly,  and 
not  be  stretching  out  his  hand  for  things  not  yet  within  his  grasp. 
He  will  let  opportunities  grow  before  his  eyes  until  they  are  ripe 
to  be  seized.  He  will  think  steadily  over  possible  failure,  in 
order  to  provide  a  remedy  or  a  retreat.  There  will  be  the 
strength  of  repose  about  him. 

He  must  have  a  deep  sense  of  responsibility.  He  must  believe 
in  the  power  and  vitality  of  truth,  and  in  all  he  does  or  says, 
should  be  anxious  to  express  as  much  tnith  as  possible. 

His  feeling  of  responsibility  and  love  of  truth  will  almost  inevi- 
tably endow  him  with  diligence,  accuracy  and  discreetness — those 
common-place  requisites  for  a  good  man  of  business,  without 
which  all  the  rest  may  never  come  to  be  "  translated  into 
action." 


104  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


54. 

ALMOST  every  merchant  has  been  rich,  or  at  least  prosperous, 
at  some  point  of  his  life;  and  if  he  is  poor  now,  he  can  see  very 
well  how  he  might  have  avoided  the  disaster  which  overthrew  his 
hopes.  He  will  probably  see  that  his  misfortunes  arose  from 
neglecting  some  of  the  following  rules: — 

Be  industrious.  Everybody  knows  that  industry  is  the  funda- 
mental virtue  in  the  man  of  business.  But  it  is  not  every  sort  of 
industry  which  tends  to  wealth.  Many  men  work  hard  to  do 
a  great  deal  of  business,  and,  after  all,  make  less  money  than 
they  would  if  they  did  less.  Industry  should  be. expended  in 
seeing  to  all  the  details  of  business — in  the  careful  finishing 
up  of  each  seperate  undertaking,  and  in  the  maintenance  of  such 
a  system  as  will  keep  everything  under  control. 

Be  economical.  This  rule,  also,  is  familiar  to  everybody. 
Economy  is  a  virtue  to  be  practised  every  hour  in  a  great  city. 
It  is  to  be  practised  in  pence  as  much  as  in  pounds.  A  shilling 
a  day  saved,  amounts  to  an  estate  in  the  course  of  a  life. 
Economy  is  especially  important  in  the  outset  of  life,  until  the 
foundations  of  an  estate  are  laid.  Many  men  are  poor  all  their 
days,  because,  when  their  necessary  expenses  were  small,  they  did 
not  seize  the  opportunity  to  save  a  small  capital,  which  would 
have  changed/  their  fortunes  for  the  whole  of  their  lives. 

Stick  to  'the  business  in  which  you  are  regularly  employed. 
Let  speculators  make  their  thousands  in  a  year  or  day;  mind 
your  own  regular  trade,  never  turning  from  it  to  the  right  hand 
or  the  left.  If  you  are  a  merchant,  a  professional  man,  or  a 
mechanic,  never  buy  lots  or  stocks  unless  you  have  surplus  money 
which  you  wish  to  invest.  Your  own  business  you  understand  as 
well  as  other  men;  but  other  people's  business  you  do  not  under- 
stand. Let  your  business  be  some  one  which  is  useful  to  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  105 


community.     All  such  occupations  possess  the  elements  of  profits 
in  themselves,  while  mere  speculation  has  no  such  element. 

Never  take  great  hazards.  Such  hazards  are  seldom  well 
balanced  by  the  prospects  of  profit ;  and  if  they  were,  the  habit 
of  mind  which  is  induced  is  unfavorable,  and  generally  the  result 
is  bad.  To  keep  what  you  have,  should  be  the  first  rule;  to  get 
what  you  can  fairly,  the  second. 

Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  get  rich.  Gradual  gains  are  the  only 
natural  gains,  and  they  who  are  in  haste  to  be  rich,  break  over 
sound  rules,  fall  into  temptations  and  distress  of  various  sorts, 
and  generally  fail  of  their  object.  There  is  no  use  in  getting 
rich  suddenly.  The  man  who  keeps  his  business  under  his 
control,  and  saves  something  from  year  to  year,  is  always  rich. 
At  any  rate,  he  possesses  the  highest  enjoyment  which  riches  are 
able  to  afford. 

Never  do  business  for  the  sake  of  doing  it,  and  being  counted 
a  great  merchant.  There  is  often  more  money  to  be  made  by  a 
small  business  than  a  large  one;  and  that  business  will  in  the 
end  be  most  respectable  which  is  most  successful.  Do  not  get 
deeply  in  debt;  but  so  manage  as  always,  if  possible,  to  have 
your  financial  position  easy,  so  that  you  can  turn  any  way  you 
please. 

Do  not  love  money  extravagantly.  We  speak  here  merely 
with  reference  to  getting  rich.  In  morals,  the  inordinate  love 
of  money  is  one  of  the  most  degrading  vices.  But  the  extrava- 
gant desire  of  accumulation  induces  an  eagerness,  many  tunes, 
which  is  imprudent,  and  so  misses  its  object  from  too  much  haste 
to  grasp  it. 

55. 

CREDIT  or  confidence  given  to  men  of  doubtful  integrity,  is  an 
injustice  done  to  all  who  hold  on  to  their  honesty. 


106  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


56. 

IT  is  stated  in  a  foreign  paper,  that  a  merchant,  in  prosecuting 
his  morning  tour  in  the  suburbs  of  Edinburgh,  found,  as  he 
walked  along,  a  purse  containing  a  considerable  sum  of  money. 
He  observed  a  lady  at  a  considerable  distance,  who,  he  thought, 
would  be  the  owner  and  loser.  Determined  to  be  correct  in  the 
party  to  whom  he  delivered  it,  he  fell  upon  a  strange,  yet  ingeni- 
ous plan  to  effect  this.  He  resolved  to  act  the  part  of  a  "  poor 
distressed  tradesmen,"  and  boldly  went  forward,  hat  in  hand,  and 
asked  alms.  This  was  answered  with  a  polite  *'  Go  away  !  I 
have  nothing  to  give  you."  The  poor  man,  however,  persisted  in 
his  entreaties  until  he  had  got  assistance  for  his  "  famishing  wife 
and  children,"  the  lady,  from  reasons,  no  doubt,  similar  to  Mrs. 
Maclarty's,  at  last  condescended  ;  but,  to  her  dismay,  found  that 
the  wherewith  was  gone.  The  merchant,  now  satisfied  that  he 
was  correct,  with  a  polite  bow  returned  the  purse,  with  an  advice 
that  in  future  she  would  be  more  generous  to  the  distressed  and 
destitute. 

57. 

THE  following  picture,  we  cannot  say  how  correctly  drawn, 
of  the  British  merchant,  is  abstracted  from  Chronicles  of 
"The  Fleet,"  by  a  Peripatician,  which  contains  two  interesting 
stories,  the  "Ruined  Merchant,"  and  the  "Turnkey's  Daugh- 
ter." 

There  certainly  is  no  character  on  the  face  of  the  earth  more 
estimable  than  that  of  the  British  merchant.  His  enlarged 
intercourse  with  the  world  leads  to  an  enlarged  and  liberal  spirit 
of 'dealing  with  mankind;  his  necessary  avocations  exercise  his 
mind  in  a  wholesome  activity ;  his  daily  experience  of  the  value 
of  character  and  of  a  good  name,  stimulates  him  to  preserve 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  107 


them,  and  trains  him  and  fixes  him  in  habits  of  truth  and 
of  fair  dealing.  Liberality  is  his  motto,  charity  his  virtue, 
generosity  his  practice.  He  is  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping 
hand  to  the  weak,  an  assisting  one  to  the  unfortunate,  and  to 
look  with  indulgence  on  the  errors  of  the  head,  when  not  accom- 
panied by  vices  of  the  heart.  His  vocation,  at  the  same  tune 
that  it  is  one  of  the  most  honorable  in  itself,  is  also  one  of  the 
most  useful  to  society.  He  is  one  of  the  connecting  links  of 
nations;  he  is  the  great  agent  in  the  interchange  of  the  products 
of  various  lands,  and  of  the  commodities  and  manufactures  of 
different  and  distant  countries — the  distributor  of  the  wealth  of 
the  world.  He  is  one  of  the  prime  promoters  and  conservators 
of  peace  on  earth ;  for  no  one  feels  more  strongly  than  he  how 
much  the  good-will,  and  the  civilization,  and  the  inestimable 
benefits  which  enlightened  commerce  brings,  are  marred  and 
thrown  back  by  the  evil  effects  of  war.  He  is  the  friend  and 
the  protector  of  the  rights  of  the  laboring  poor,  because  he 
knows  that  by  their  labor  all  wealth  is  created. 

58. 

INATTENTION  to  business  is  not  always  the  effect  of  a  pressure 
in  the  money-market,  but  is  induced,  sometimes,  by  a  variety  of 
causes.  If  a  merchant  wishes  a  clerk  to  be  faithful,  and  attentive 
to  his  interest,  he  should  take  some  care  of  the  welfare  of  those 
in  his  employ.  Any  act  of  kindness,  by  which  gratitude  will  be 
awakened,  will  go  farther  towards  making  a  good  clerk,  than  a 
thousand  severe,  and  sometimes  irksome  business  precepts.  A 
display  of  passion  towards  those  who,  by  the  nature  of  their 
situation,  can  make  no  defense-,  is  not  only  galling  to  a  sensitive 
mind,  but  it  often  leads  to  future  evils,  which  no  opposite  influ- 
ence can  counteract 


108  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


59. 

« 

COMMERCE  brings  into  the  market  almost  every  thing  that 
has  a  being  in  the  water,  on  the  earth,  and  in  the  air;  from  the 
whale  that  spouts  and  foams  in  the  great  deep  to  the  smallest 
insect  that  exists  in  the  land.  A  late  writer  remarks  with  great 
justice  that  "  the  importance  of  insects  to  commerce  is  scarcely 
ever  treated  of.  Great  Britain  does  not  pay  less  than  a  million 
of  dollars  annually  for  the  dried  carcasses  of  a  tiny  insect — the 
Cochineal.  Gum  Shellac,  another  insect  product  from  India,  is 
of  scarcely  less  pecuniary  value.  A  million  and  a  half  of  human 
beings  derive  their  sole  support  from  the  culture  and  manufacture 
of  silk,  and  the  silk-worm  alone  creates  an  annual  circulating 
medium  of  between  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred 
millions  of  dollars.  Half  a'million  of  dollars  is  annually  spent 
in  England  alone  for  foreign  honey;  ten  thousand  hundred 
weight  of  wax  is  imported  into  that  country  each  year.  Then 
there  are  the  gall-nuts  of  commerce,  used  for  dyeing,  and  in  the 
manufacture  of  ink,  etc.,  whilst  the  cantharides,  or  Spanish  fly,  is 
an  important  insect  to  the  medical  practitioner.  In  this  way  we 
Bee  the  importance  of  certain  classes  of  the  insect  race,  whilst  in 
another  view,  the  rest  clear  the  air  of  noxious  vapors,  and  are 
severally  designed  by  nature  for  useful  purposes,  though  we 
in  our  blindness,  may  not  understand  them." 

60. 

THE  judgment  of  all  the  great  moral  writers  of  the  age  has  con- 
demned the  practice  of  imprisonment  for  debt;  all  experience  is 
against  it ;  there  is  not  a  jailer  or  a  turnkey  that  ever  closed  the 
door  on  a  prisoner  who  will  not  confess  its  inefficacy;  we  will  say 
nothing  of  the  denunciations  of  the  Scriptures  against  those  who 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  109 


oppress  and  trample  on  the  poor  and  the  unfortunate,  because  in 
this  so-called  Christian  country,  Christian-principles  are  always  dis- 
regarded when  any  question  relating  to  the  making  of  money  is 
to  be  considered;  but  we  will  speak  of  it  only  as  a  matter  of  expe- 
diency; not  as  a  matter  of  religion,  or  of  charity,  or  of  justice, 
or  of  humanity,  but  merely  as  a  matter  of  expediency;  and  we 
contend  that,  viewed  only  in  respect  to  its  unprofitable  operation 
on  the  community,  inasmuch  as  it  prevents  a  vast  number  of 
people  from  adding  by  then*  labors  to  the  general  wealth  of  the 
country,  imprisonment  for  debt  is  statistically  an  inexpedient 
practice.  It  cannot  be  defended  as  a  punishment,  because,  when 
plainly  stated  hi  that  light,  it  cannot  be  allowed  that  punishment 
should  be  indicted  before  crime  be  proved,  and  no  one  can  have 
the  hardihood  to  say  that  the  bare  circumstance  of  a  person  not 
being  able  to  pay  his  debt  makes  his  failure  criminal ;  because  if 
he  were  to  be  considered  criminal,  it  would  follow  that  becaus3 
the  default  of  A  prevented  B  from  paying  C,  that  therefore  B, 
who  was  prevented,  not  by  his  own  fault,  but  by  the  default  of 
A,  from  paying  C,  was  a  criminal  deserving  of  punishment!  a 
conclusion  which,  when  thus  stated,  is  too  absurd  for  any  sane 
man  to  assent  to.  But  the  actual  operation  of  the  law  is  to 
punish  the  innocent  man  B,  for  the  failure  of  the  other  man  A: 
an  injustice  so  monstrous,  that,  from  its  injustice  alone,  it  is 
a  matter  of  amazement  how  such  a  law  can  be  persevered  hi,  as 
it  still  is,  in  several  of  our  democratic  States! 

But,  seeing  the  sure  and  certain  progress  of  reform,  we  are  led 
to  hope  that  men  will  be  wise  at  last,  and  place  the  question 
upon  its -proper  footing;  and  come,  in  the  end,  to  see  that  it  is 
exceedingly  prejudicial  to  the  community  at  large,  to  strip  one  of 
its  members  of  all  that  he  possesses,  and  to  turn  him  houseless, 
naked,  and  friendless,  into  the  streets! 


110  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


61. 

PERCY,  in  his  anecdotes,  gives  an  instance  of  generosity  on  the 
part  of  a  Chinese  merchant,  of  the  name  of  Shai-king-qua,  who 
had  long  known  a  Mr.  Anderson,  an  English  trader,  and  had 
large  transactions  with  him.  It  appears  that  Mr.  Anderson  met 
with  heavy  losses,  became  insolvent,  and  at  the  time  of  his  fail- 
ure owed  his  Chinese  friend  upwards  of  eighty  thousand  dollars. 
Mr.  Anderson  wished  to  come  to  England,  in  the  hopes  of  being 
able  to  retrieve  his  affairs  ;  he  called  on  the  Hong  merchant, 
and  in  the  utmost  distress,  explained  his  situation,  his  wishes, 
and  his  hopes.  The  Chinese  listened  with  anxious  attention,  and 
having  heard  his  story,  thus  addressed  him  :  "  My  friend  Ander- 
son, you  have  been  very  unfortunate  ;  you  lose  all ;  I  very  sorry; 
you  go  to  England  ;  if  you  more  fortunate  there,  you  come  back 
and  pay  ;  but  that  you  no  forget  Chinaman  friend,  you  take  this, 
and  when  you  look  on  this,  you  will  remember  Shai-king-qua." 
In  saying  these  words,  he  pulled  out  a  valuable  gold  watch,  and 
gave  it  to  Anderson. 

Mr.  Anderson  took  leave  of  his  friend,  but  he  did  not  live  to 
retrieve  his  affairs,  or  to  return  to  China.  When  the  account  of 
his  death,  and  of  the  distress  in  which  he  had  left  his  family, 
reached  Canton,  the  Hong  merchant  called  on  one  of  the  gentle- 
men of  the  factory  who  was  about  to  return  to  Europe,  and 
addressed  him  in  the  following  manner  :  "  Poor  Mr.  Anderson 
dead  !  I  very  sorry  ;  he  good  man ;  he  friend,  and  he  leave 
two  childs  ;  they  poor — they  have  nothing — they  childs  of  my 
friend  ;  you  take  this  for  them  ;  tell  them  Chinaman  friend  send 
it  I "  And  he  put  into  the  gentleman's  hand  a  sum  of  money 
for  Mr.  Anderson's  children,  amounting  to  several  hundred 
pounds. 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEM   OF   BUSINESS.  Ill 


62. 

THERE  is  embodied  in  a  little  work,  entitled  "  Illustrations  of 
the  Law  of  Kindness,"  by  the  Rev.  Gr.  W.  MONTGOMERY,  more 
of  the  spirit  and  genius  of  Christianity,  than  in  the  ponderous 
tomes  of  many  learned  theologians,  since  the  days  of  the  Reform- 
ation. The  perusal  of  this  volume  has  almost,  if  not  quite,  con- 
vinced us  "  that  there  never  yet  was  an  instance  in  which  kind- 
ness has  been  fairly  exercised,  but  that  it  has  subdued  the  enmity 
opposed  to  it."  Among  the  many  well-authenticated  anecdotes 
adduced  in  illustration  of  the  law  of  kindness,  or  of  "  overcoming 
evil  with  good,"  nothing,  we  think,  could  more  effectually  enforce 
this  doctrine,  than  the  effect  of  such  facts  as  the  following  : — 

"  The  brothers  Cheeryble  of  the  novelist  are,  as  is  well  known, 
scarcely  overcharged  portraits  of  two  real  English  merchants  ; 
one  of  whom,  we  regret  to  know,  is  now  no  more.  Of  these 
men,  the  following  story  was  originally  told  in  a  Manchester 
paper  : — The  elder  brother  of  this  house  of  merchant  princes 
amply  revenged  himself  upon  a  libeler,  who  had  made  himself 
merry  with  the  peculiarities  of  the  amiable  fraternity.  This  man 
published  a  pamphlet,  in  which  one  of  the  brothers  (D.)  was 
designated  as  '  Billy  Button,'  and  represented  as  talking  largely 
of  their  foreign  trade,  having  travelers  who  regularly  visited 
Chowbent,  Bullock  Smithy,  and  other  foreign  parts.  Some 
'  kind  friend'  had  told  W.  of  this  pamphlet,  and  W.  had  said 
that  the  man  would  live  to  repent  of  its  publication.  This  say- 
ing was  kindly  conveyed  to  the  libeler,  who  said  that  he  should 
take  care  never  to  be  in  their  debt.  But  the  man  in  business 
does  not  always  know  who  shall  be  his  creditor.  The  author  of 
the  pamphlet  became  bankrupt,  and  the  brothers  held  an  accept- 
ance of  his  which  had  been  endorsed  by  the  drawer,  who  had 


112  MAXIMS,.  MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


also  become  bankrupt.  The  wantonly-libeled  men  had  thus 
become  creditors  of  the  libeler.  They  now  had  it  in  their  power 
to  make  him  repent  of  his  audacity.  He  could  not  obtain  his 
certificate  without  their  signature,  and  without  it  he  could  not 
enter  into  business  again.  He  had  obtained  the  number  of  sig- 
natures required  by  the  bankrupt  laws,  except  one. 

"  It  seemed  folly  to  hope  that  the  firm  of  brothers  would  sup- 
ply the  deficiency.  What !  they  who  had  been  cruelly  made  the 
laughing-stock  of  the  public,  forget  the  wrong,  and  favor  the 
wrong-doer  ?  He  despaired  ;  but  the  claims  of  a  wife  and  chil- 
dren forced  him  at  last  to  make  the  application.  Humbled  by 
misery,  he  presented  himself  at  the  counting-room  of  the  wronged. 
W.  was  there  alone,  and  his  first  words  to  the  delinquent  were, 
'  Shut  the  door,  sir  ! '  sternly  uttered.  The  door  was  shut,  and 
the  libeler  stood  trembling  before  the  libeled.  He  "told  his  tale, 
and  produced  his  certificate,  which  was  instantly  clutched  by  the 
injured  merchant. 

"'You  wrote  a  pamphlet  against  us  once!'  exclaimed  W. 
The  supplicant  expected  to  see  his  parchment  thrown  into  the 
fire  ;  but  this  was  not  its  destination.  W.  took  a  pen,  and 
writing  something  on  the  document,  handed  it  back  to  the  bank- 
rupt. He,  poor  wretch,  expected  to  see  there,  'Rogue,  scoun- 
drel, libeler  1 '  inscribed  ;  but  there  was,  in  fair  round  characters, 
the  signature  of  the  firm  !  '  We  make  it  a  rule,'  said  W.,  '  never 
to  refuse  signing  the  certificate  of  an  honest  tradesman,  and  we 
never  heard  that  you  were  anything  else.'  The  tear  started  into 
the  poor  man's  eyes. 

"  Ah  ! '  said  W.,  'my  saying  was  true.  I  said  you  would 
live  to  repent  writing  that  pamphlet.  I  did  not  mean  it  as  a 
threat ;  I  only  meant  that  some  day  you  would  know  us  better, 
and  would  repent  you  had  tried  to  injure  us.  I  see  you  repent 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEX    OF    BUSINESS.  113 


of  it  now.'  '  I  do — I  do  ; '  said  the  grateful  man.  '  Well,  well, 
my  dear  fellow,'  said  W.,  '  you  know  us  now.  How  do  yon  get 
on  ?  What  are  yon  going  to  do  ? '  The  poor  man  stated  that 
he  had  friends  who  could  assist  him  when  his  certificate  was 
obtained.  '  But  how  are  you  off  in  the  meantime  ? ' — and  the 
answer  was,  that,  having  given  up  everything  to  his  creditors, 
he  had  been  compelled  to  stint  his  family  of  even  the  common 
necessaries,  that  he  might  be  enabled  to  pay  the  cost  of  his  certi- 
ficate. '  My  dear  fellow,'  said  W.,  '  this  will  never  do ;  your 
family  must  not  suffer.  Be  kind  enough  to  take  this  ten  pound 
note  to  your  wife  from  me.  There,  there,  my  dear  fellow — nay, 
don't  cry — it  will  be  all  well  with  you  yet.  Keep  up  your  spirits, 
set  to  work  like  a  man,  and  you  will  raise  your  head  yet.'  The 
overpowered  man  endeavored  in  vain  to  express  his  thanks — the 
swelling  in  his  throat  forbade  words  ;  he  put  his  handkerchief  to 
his  face,  and  went  out  of  the  door,  crying  like  a  child." 

63. 

ALL  legislation  is  founded  on  an  erroneous  notion,  which,  until 
people  clear  their  heads  of  it,  will  always  infect  and  mar  all  legis- 
lation hi  respect  to  the  laws  of  debtor  and  creditor.  Tiiat 
erroneous  notion  is,  that  there  is  an  innate  disinclination  in  all 
men  to  pay  then*  debts;  whereas  it  is  precisely  the  contrary  prin- 
ciple that  prevails.  We  never  knew  a  man,  except  in  a  case 
here  and  there  where  the  man  was  a  rascal,  and  it  is  not  on 
exceptions  but  on  generalities  that  legislation  ought  to  be 
founded — we  say  we  never  knew  a  man  who  was  not  only  desirous 
but  anxious  to  pay  his  debts.  But  the  legislature  has  ever 
proceeded  on  the  contrary  supposition;  so  that  all  the  laws 
relating  to  debtor  and  creditor  have  been  made  with  a  view 
to  force  the  debtor  to  do  that  which  he  is  willing  enough  to  do 


114 


if  he  could.  Now  if  the  legislature,  instead  of  racking  its  inven- 
tion to  devise  all  sorts  of  pains,  and  penalties,  and  tortures,  to 
wrench  from  the  debtor  what  he  has  not  got — had  directed 
its  attention  to  devise  facilities  for  enabling  the  debtor  to  pay  as 
far  as  he  can,  and  not  to  break  him  down  so  utterly  and  irreme- 
diably as  forever  depriving  him  of  the  power  of  paying  his 
debts,  all  would  be  the  gainers  to  an  incalculable  degree.  For 
the  creditor  would  have  a  chance  of  his  money,  which  now  he 
has  not;  the  debtor  would  have  a  chance  of  retrieving  his 
position,  and  of  fulfilling  his  obligations,  which  every  man  in  his 
heart  longs  to  do,  which  now  he  has  not;  and  society  would  not 
be  put  to  the  expense  of  all  the  apparatus  of  the  law  and  of  its 
huge  prisons  for  confining  unfortunate  debtors;  which  ought  to 
be  regarded  only  as  ingenious  inventions  for  furthering  the 
revengeful  feelings  of  the  vindictive  creditor,  and  for  preventing 
the  debtor,  most  effectually,  from  ever  payiug  him. 

64. 

THERE  is  an  unapproachable  perfection  of  cant  in  the  annexed 
advertisement,  which  we  take  from  a  Manchester  (Eng.)  paper: — 

TO    DRAPERS,    HABERDASHERS,    WAREHOUSEMEN,    ETC. 

"  Wanted,  towards  the  latter  end  of  April,  by  an  eminently 
pious  young  man  of  Scotland,  who  has  been  regularly  bred  to 
the  above  branches,  and  considerably  experienced  generally,  a 
situation  as  assistant  clerk,  manager,  salesman,  or  traveler.  The 
advertiser  is  twenty-one  years  of  age,  possessed  of  excellent 
health,  an  amiable  disposition,  good  ability,  extensive  knowledge 
of  the  great  scriptural  doctrine,  strictly  evangelical,  and  would 
be  found  to  be  of  immense  advantage  in  assisting  to  advance  the 
claims  and  reign  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom,  amidst  all  the  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  opposition  so  prevalent  among  the  nations  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  115 


the  earth,  in  these  latter  agitating  times.  Testimonials  and 
references  to  several  eminent  evangelical  ministers  and  members 
of  the  Gospel,  as  well  as  to  former  and  present  employers, 
of  the  most  strict  and  satisfactory  tendency  as  to  character 
and  ability,  with  portrait,  may  be  had  on  application.  No 
objections  to  town  or  country,  and  would  be  willing  to  conform 
to  the  rules  of  a  liberal  church  or  dissenting  family,  holding 
evangelical  principles,  and  make  himself  generally  useful.  A 
house  favorable  to  Evangelical,  Presbyterian,  or  Independent 
Church  principles,  affording  permanent  employment,  and  pro- 
gressive advancement  of  salary,  preferred." 

65. 

THAT  evil  results,  in  many  instances,  from  wealth,  is  sufficiently 
manifest ;  but  it  is  not  certain,  on  this  account,  that  virtue  is 
only  safe  in  the  midst  of  penury,  or  even  in  moderate  circum- 
stances. Nor,  because  the  wealthy  are  often  miserable,  is  it  cer- 
tain that  happiness  dwells  chiefly  with  the  humble.  It  may  be 
quite  true  that  no  elevation  such  as  riches  bring  about,  insures 
perfect  purity  and  amiableness  of  character,  and  that  content  is 
found  nowhere  ;  and  yet  there  may  be  a  more  steady  connection 
between  virtue  and  easy  circumstances,  also  between  content  and 
easy  circumstances,  than  between  the  same  things  and  poverty. 
The  poor  escape  many  temptations  and  many  cares  which  beset 
the  rich  ;  but,  alas  !  have  they  not  others  of  a  fiercer  kind, 
proper  to  then*  own  grade  ?  Let  the  statistician  make  answer. 
It  is  only,  indeed,  to  be  expected,  that  an  increasing  ease  of  cir- 
cumstances should  be  upon  the  whole,  favorable  to  moral  pro- 
gress, for  it  is  what  industry  tends  to  ;  and  industry  is  a  favored 
ordination  of  heaven,  if  ever  anything  on  earth  could  be  pro- 
nounced to  be  such. 


116  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


66. 

THE  following  remarks,  though  intended  for  England,  are  not 
without  application  to  the  retail  trade  of  our  commercial  cities. 
They  are  from  a  little  work,  recently  published  in  England, 
entitled  "The  Evils  of  the  Late  Hour  System,  by  Ralph  B. 
Grindrod,  L.L.  D." 

"The  unreasonable  conduct  of  a  numerous  class  of  purchasers 
makes  the  employment  of  assistant  drapers,  in  particular,  and  of 
all  engaged  in  the  traffic  of  goods,  more  wearisome  and  fatiguing 
than  it  would  be  under  more  favorable  circumstances.  Every 
hour,  nay,  every  minute,  requires  constant  attention  to  the  same 
monotonous  round  of  minute  and  uninteresting  details.  To  this, 
is  too  frequently  superadded  those  perpetual  trials  of  the  patience 
and  temper,  which  those  alone  can  realize  who  have  been  sub- 
jected to  the  unreasonable  demands  of  inconsiderate  customers. 
It  matters  not  how  often  the  drawers  and  shelves  may  have  been 
arranged  during  the  night.  They  must  again  and  again  be 
disarranged  to  accommodate  the  whims  of  customers,  who  too 
often,  after  almost  endless  trouble,  make  but  slight  purchases. 
The  young  men  of  our  mercers'  shops,  however  minute  the  order, 
are  required,  under  all  circumstances,  to  exhibit  the  same  bland 
and  obsequious  attention  to  those  upon  whom  they  wait. 

"  An  assistant  draper,  of  long  experience,  informs  the  writer 
that  after  customers  have,  late  in  the  evening,  so  pulled  about 
various  articles  of  dress,  the  after  arrangement  of  which  would 
give  employment  for  a  considerable  portion  of  time,  it  is  gen- 
erally the  case  that  they  conclude  by  a  remark  to  the  following 
effect: — '  it  is  impossible  to  tell  what  sort  of  color  it  may  be  by 
daylight ;  so  I  will  call  again  in  the  morning.'  This  wonderful 
discovery,  unfortunately  for  the  poor  assistant,  is  only  made 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  117 


after  a  tedious  trial  of  the  patience  and  temper,  although 
probably  the  light  of  day  had  given  place  to  that  of  gas  at 
least  an  hour  previously. 

"  The  modern  spirit  of  competition  has  induced  a  numerous 
class  of  tradesmen  to  adopt  a  plausible  but  fictitious  appearance 
of  traffic — a  practice  which,  we  may  readily  suppose,  does  not 
diminish  the  hard  lot  of  assistants.  No  leisure  moments,  conse- 
quently, must  be  devoted  to  other  than  the  business  of  the  shop 
— no  intervals  of  rest  are  permitted  in  the  absence  of  persons  to 
purchase.  An  appearance  of  business  is  enforced;  the  hurry  and 
bustle  of  a  thriving  trade  is  exhibited  ;  in  lack  of  other  duties, 
articles  must  be  packed  and  repacked  ;  ribbons  again  and  again 
rolled — every  specious  means,  in  short,  is  put  into  operation  to  im- 
press the  public  with  an  opinion  of  extensive  traffic.  The  already 
overtasked  assistants  suffer  the  penalties  of  this  system  of  delusion/' 

67. 

THE  following  passage  on  this  subject  occurs  in  the  letter  of 
the  Hon.  Thomas  G.  Gary,  a  merchant  of  Boston,  to  a  lady  in 
France,  who  wrote  to  a  lady  here,  to  inquire  "  what  ground 
there  could  possibly  be  for  the  dreadful  accusations  which  she 
hears  against  us  everywhere  abroad,"  in  consequence  of  the  sup- 
posed failure  of  a  national  bank,  the  supposed  delinquency  of  the 
national  government,  the  debts  of  the  several  States,  and  repu- 
diation. Mr!  Gary  explains  these  matters  very  satisfactorily,  and 
in  answer  to  the  superficial  statements  in  the  books  of  English 
travelers  in  the  United  States,  he  thus  summarily  disposes  of  the 
sneer  cast  upon  the  Americans  for  their  reputed  love  of  money: — 

"  When  it  is  said,  as  it  often  is,  with  scorn,  that  our  conversa- 
tion, in  this  country,  relates  too  much  to  money  matters,  that  we 
talk  about  dollars,  etc.,  it  is  but  fair  to  remember  that,  notwith- 


118  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


standing  all  that  some  of  our  own  writers  have  thought  proper  to 
concede',  money  is  regarded  here  as  the  means  of  progress,  rather 
than  the  end  in  view.  It  is  power  in  any  part  of  the  world ;  and 
where  difference  of  rank  is  abolished,  and  the  highest  places  are 
open  to  the  competition  of  every  one,  it  is  great  power,  since  it 
enables  a  man  to  raise  those  who  depend  on  him  to  the  enjoy- 
ments and  advantages  of  which  he  may  have  felt  the  ^Tant. 
Probably  there  is  no  part  of  the  world  where  the  character 
of  the  miser  is  more  uncommon  than  here  ;  and  I  have  often 
thought,  in  noticing  the  ways  of  foreigners  who  come  here,  that, 
if  we  talk  more  about  dollars  than  they  do,  they  think  more  of 
them  than  we  do  by  far." 

68. 

IN  no  way,  perhaps,  can  a  young  man  destroy  his  business 
character  more  effectually  than  by  obtaining  the  reputation  of 
one  who  breaks  his  promises.  The  mercantile  world,  in  placing 
under  its  ban  the  individual  who  suffers  his  note  to  be  protested, 
is  less  unjust  than  is  popularly  supposed.  Instances  of  hardship, 
we  are  willing  to  concede,  do  occasionally  arise  under  the  opera- 
tion of  this  rule;  but  they  are  less  frequent  than  is  generally 
believed,  and  not  more  cruel  than  in  similar  exceptional  cases. 
Nine  men  out  of  ten  who  fail  owe  their  insolvency  either  to 
having  traded  beyond  their  means,  to  a  careless  management  of 
their  affairs,  or  to  criminal  speculations.  That  is,  they  have 
undertaken  more  than  they  could  perform,  and  this  while  know- 
ing at  the  time  of  the  promise  that  there  was  great  doubt 
whether  they  could  meet  their  engagements.  Perhaps,  indeed, 
they  had  no  deliberate  intention  of  violating  their  promise.  But 
they  either  were  more  ignorant  than  they  should  have  been 
of  their  ability  to  perform,  or  they  trusted  too  confidently  to  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  119 


chances  of  the  future,  or  they  took  heavier  risks  subsequently 
than  was  consistent  with  their  liabilities.  The  innocent,  therefore, 
suffer  but  rarely  by  this  species  of  mercantile  proscription.  Ou 
the  other  hand,  the  rule  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  commercial 
world,  for,  without  it,  payments  could  scarcely  ever  be  depended 
on,  and  financial  distress  would  frequently  be  alarmingly  increased. 

Strict  business  integrity,  in  this  particular,  depends  much  on 
the  general  character.  A  person  who  pays  little  regard  to  slight 
promises,  usually  is  somewhat  careless  of  greater  ones  also. 
Defects  of  this  kind,  like  flaws  in  machinery,  never  lessen,  but 
always  grow  worse,  until  finally,  under  the  strain  of  a  powerful 
temptation,  they  often  break  down  a  man's  career  forever.  The 
most  punctual  men  hi  keeping  a  trivial  engagement,  we  have 
always  found  to  be  the  exactest  in  their  business  transactions. 
Washington  was  a  memorable  example  of  particularity  in  small 
things  as  well  as  great,  and  his  strict  probity  in  the  latter,  was 
unquestionably  the  result,  in  a  considerable  degree,  of  his  fidelity 
hi  the  former. 

In  our  experience  also,  the  men  who  never  kept  an  engagement 
to  the  moment,  the  men  who  were  proverbially  always  "behind 
time,"  have  been,  mostly,  those  who  have  failed  subsequently  in 
business.  "We  have  learned  too,  to  be  cautious  of  those  who  are 
over-ready  to  promise.  It  is  the  individual  who  carefully  con- 
siders before  he  makes  a  pledge,  who  can  be  most  surely 
depended  on  to  keep  it.  A  multiplicity  of  promises  necessarily 
prevents  the  promiser  from  observing  them  all,  for  one  conflicts 
with  the  other,  and  disables  even  the  best-in  ten  tioned.  A  disre- 
gard of  promises,  finally,  is  like  a  fungus,  which  imperceptibly 
spreads  over  the  whole  character,  until  the  moral  perceptions  are 
perverted  and  the  man  actually  comes  to  believe  he  does  no 
wrong,  even  hi  breaking  faith  with  his  warmest  friends. 


120  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


69. 

SUCCESS  in  life  mainly  depends  upon  perseverance.  When  a 
man  has  determined  to  follow  a  certain  line  of  business,  he  mast 
at  the  same  time  resolve  to  persevere  until  success  crowns  his 
efforts.  He  must  never  be  cast  down  by  the  difficulties  which 
may  beset  his  path — for  whoever  conquers  difficulty,  con- 
quers a  weakness  of  his  own  frail  nature  likewise.  How 
many  men  have  commenced  business  under  the  most  favorable 
auspices,  and  yet  when  a  cloud  has  momentarily  overshadowed 
their  path,  have  lost  all  command  over  themselves  and  fled  before 
the  temporary  gloom,  instead  of  persevering  on  until  the  cloud 
has  been  dispersed,  and  sunshine  once  more  smiled  upon  their 
efforts.  Others,  more  fickle,  have  thought  their  business,  in 
some  minor  departments,  unworthy  of  their  perseverance  and 
energy,  and  forgetting  the  golden  maxim  that,  "whatever  is 
worth  doing  is  worth  doing  well,"  have  ceased  to  persevere  in 
small  matters,  until  sloth  has  entered  deeply  into  their  minds, 
and  their  whole  business  greatly  neglected. 

We  are  too  apt  to  attribute  success  in  business  to  good  for- 
tune, instead  of  great  perseverance.  This  is  a  great  evil,  and 
should  be  eschewed,  as  it  leads  many  to  suppose  that  Dame  For- 
tune will  do  that  for  them  which  they  are  unwilling  to  do  for 
themselves. 

The  history  of  every  great  success  in  business  is  the  history  of 
great  perseverance.  By  perseverance  the  mind  is  strengthened 
and  invigorated,  and  the  difficulty  that  once  seemed  so  formida- 
ble is  a  second  time  surmounted  with  ease  and  confidence. 

Energy  and  great  perseverance  are  never  thrown  away  on  a 
good  cause,  or  left  unrewarded  ;  and  to  every  man  of  business, 
perseverance  should  be  his  motto,  and  then  he  may  look  with 
confidence  to  fortune  as  his  reward. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  121 


70. 

"  I  'M  but  a  gatherer  and  distributer  of  other  men's  stuff,"  said 
Isaac  Walton.  This  would  have  constituted  him  a  merchant, 
although  he  had  traded  like  Daniel  Dowlas,  in  small  wares  down 
to  wooden  nutmegs.  The  poorest  pedler  is  an  Itinerant  merchant; 
and  since  man  is  the  only  trading  animal  on  earth,  he  is  bound  to 
qualify  himself  thoroughly  for  whatever  branch  he  embraces.  As 
an  accomplished  linguist  is  familiar  with  foreign  characters,  using 
them  only  in  the  tongue  to  which  they  belong,  so  an  individual, 
with  a  sound  mercantile  education,  when  addressing  another, 
cautiously  employs  the  technical  terms  known  to  his  corres- 
pondent. Errors  arising  from  neglect  of  this  rule  have  frequently 
occurred,  which  we  will  illustrate  by  a  story  from  a  contemporary 
which  may  not  be  generally  known: — A  brewer  once  employed  a 
brickmaker  to  manufacture  a  quantity  of  bricks,  the  latter 
having  agreed,  wrote  for  two  or  three  loads  of  Spanish — the 
technical  term  for  ashes  or  laystal  stuff  to  mix  with  clay,  instead 
of  which  he  received  from  the  brewer  a  dozen  hogsheads  of 
molasses!  Such  want  of  knowledge  is  likely  to  produce  serious 
delay.  In  the  above  instance  it  only  incited  merriment;  but.  it 
plainly  shows  that  a  thorough  business  man  is  familiar  with  the 
general  peculiarities  of  other  trades  as  well  as  his  own.  He 
is  posted  up  in  manufacturers'  prices,  the  best  markets  for  barter, 
rate  of  duties,  etc.  A  mind  well  stored  with  essential  data  is 
not  likely  to  be  alarmed  at  the  deceptions  published  by  specula- 
toris  in  dajly  journals;  it  only  perceives  the  laws  that  regulate 
supply  and  demand,  as  all  fluctuations  are  considered  matters  of 
course. 

We  might  dilate  on  this  subject  on  two  accounts,  deprecating 
those  unprincipled  news-mongers  who  pander  to  stock-jobbers, 

6 


122  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


and  lamenting  the  superficial  instruction  too  many  of  our  traffickers 
receive,  which  is  painfully  evident,  when  rogues  can  raise  panics 
with  impunity — each  one  more  alarming  than  the  last — until  our 
poor  novices  "lose  the  sense  of  action,"  like  a  certain  visionary 
who  remained  transfixed  in  a  sepulchral  vault,  all  night  dreading 
to  move,  under  the  supposition  that  something  supernatural 
pulled  his  gown  tail,  which  had  hitched  on  a  hook.  The  terrors 
of  imagination,  like  a  fog-cloud,  magnify  every  danger. 

Judgment — good  common  sense — is  the  motive  power  that 
raises  a  utilitarian  to  the  summit  of  success.  During  the  smoke 
of  battle,  skilful  generals  direct  the  motions  of  their  army  with 
the  same  dexterity  as  they  would  shift  draftsmen  on  a  chequer 
board,  because  they  are  versed  in  mathematics,  and  every  posi- 
tion on  the  field  presents  a  problem,  which  is  familiar  with 
Euclid's  disciplinarians.  Thus  are  merchants  schooled  in  the 
game  of  life,  and  no  "  weak  invention  of  the  enemy  "  can  discom- 
pose their  equanimity.  The  diurnal  methodical  routine  continues, 
whether  public  banks  expand  or  contract,  and  their  best  friend — 
capital — is  treated  as  a  friend.  They  know  well  how  to  invest  a 
surplus  capital,  and  where  a  good  mercantile  security  is  to  be 
faund; — want  of  such  necessary  knowledge  too  often  occasions 
sad  embarrassment.  Of  fixed  or  floating  capital,  the  latter  is 
most  profitable;  the  former  is  too  fluctuating  and  precarious, 
arising  from  rents  or  interest,  while  "  all  commodities,  the  entire 
cost  of  which  is  replaced  out  of  the  current  income,  are  floating 
capital.  The  former  are  stationary,  yielding  only  income,  and 
slow  of  transfer;  the  latter  are  constantly  circulating."  The 
mutations  of  traffic  render  it  important  that  a  reserve  fund 
should  be  convertible  into  cash  at  any  time.  How  many  men 
have  been  ruined  by  making  advances  on  growing  crops,  vaguely 
anticipating  the  profits  or  produce  that  has  to  pass  through  a 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  123 


manufacturing  process  before  it  is  marketable.  Innumerable 
cases  might  be  cited  of  errors  in  judgment,  committed  by  mer- 
cantile men,  from  not  having  been  rigidly  trained  "in  the  way 
they  should  go."  A  visionary  boasted  of  having  driven  a  nail 
into  the  sky,  and  another  replied,  "but  I  clenched  it."  An 
ignoramus  drives  at  random,  but  one  who  is  regularly  disciplined 
will,  by  judicious  management,  fix  what  an  unskilled  neighbor 
fails  in. 

71. 

ALTHOUGH  the  Spaniards  have  a  dislike,  as  we  are  told,  to 
foreigners  and  foreign  productions,  yet  the  latter  necessarily  find 
their  way  into  Spain,  because  she  has  no  productions  of  her  own, 
and  must  have  them.  But  they  hate  custom-houses  and  custom- 
house officers  as  much  as  they  do  foreigners  ;  and  they  also  prefer 
a  smuggled  article,  even  if  it  is  a  foreign  production  ;  hence  it  is 
that  there  is  no  scene  in  Spanish  life  without  a  smuggler,  at  least 
so  say  the  English.  The  peasant  smuggles  through  necessity, 
the  rich  man  through  avarice,  or  the  pleasure  of  cheating  the 
revenue.  Even  the  queen,  we  are  told,  robs  her  own  exchequer, 
by  wearing  contraband  finery.  The  whole  southern  coast,  says  a 
writer  in  the  Foreign  Quarterly,  from  Barcelona  to  Cadiz,  is 
perpetually  transformed,  at  night,  into  'a  strand  for  the  loading 
of  contraband  goods.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  not  less 
than  four  hundred  thousand  smugglers  hovering  perpetually 
about  the  mountains  near  the  sea-cost,  who  descend  at  night  to 
hold  communion  with  proscribed  foreign  smugglers,  and  receive 
from  them  the  materials  for  rendering  millions  of  the  Spanish 
population  comfortable,  free  of  duty.  The  annual  amount  of 
cotton  goods  smuggled  into  Spain,  if  we  may  believe  Marlioni, 
a  Spanish  senator,  is  more  than  thirteen  millions  of  dollars. 


124  MAXUIS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


72. 

"CAN  you  loan  me  two  thousand  dollars  to  establish  myself 
in  a  small  retail  business  ? "  inquired  a  young  man  not  yet  out 
of  his  teens,  of  a  middle  aged  gentleman,  who  was  pouring  over 
a  pile  of  ledgers  in  the  counting-room  of  one  of  the  largest  esta- 
blishments in  Boston.  'The  person  addressed  turned  toward  the 
speaker,  and  regarding  him  for  a  moment  with  a  look  of  surprise, 
inquired  : — 

"  What  security  can  you  give  me,  Mr.  Strosser  ?  " 

"  Nothing  but  niy  note,"  replied  the  young  man  promptly. 

"Which  I  fear  would  be  below  par  in  market,"  replied  the 
merchant,  smiling. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  said  the  young  man,  "  but  Mr.  Barton,  remem- 
ber that  the  boy  is  not  the  man  ;  the  time  may  come  when 
Hiram  Strosser's  note  will  be  as  readily  accepted  as  that  of  any 
other  man." 

"True,  very  true,"  replied  Mr.  Barton,  mildly,  "but  you 
know  business  men  seldom  loan  money  without  adequate  security 
— otherwise  they  might  soon  be  reduced  to  penury." 

At  this  remark  the  young  man's  countenance  became  deathly 
pale,  and,  having  observed  a  silence  of  several  moments,  he 
inquired  in  a  voice  whose  tones  indicated  his  deep  disappoint- 
ment— 

"  Then  you  can  not  accommodate  me,  can  you  ? " 

"  Call  upon  me  to-morrow,  and  I  will  give  you  a  reply,"  said' 
Mr.  Barton  ;  and  the  young  man  retired. 

Mr.  Barton  resumed  his  labors  at  the  desk,  but  his  mind  was 
so  much  upon  the  boy  and  his  singular  errand,  that  he  could  not 
pursue  his  task  with  any  correctness  ;  and,  after  having  made 
several  sad  blunders,  he  closed  the  ledger,  and  took  his  hat,  and 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OK    BUSINESS.  125 


went  out  upon  the  street.  Arriving  opposite  the  store  of  a 
wealthy  merchant  upon  Milk  street,  he  entered  the  door. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Hawley,"  said  he,  approaching  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  establishment,  who  was  seated  at  his  desk,  count- 
ing over  the  profits  of  the  week. 

"  Good  morning,"  replied  the  merchant,  blandly  ;  "happy  to 
see  you  ;  have  a  seat  ?  Any  news  ?  how's  trade  ?  " 

Without  noticing  these  interrogations,  Mr.  Barton  said  : 

"  Young  Strosser  is  desirous  of  establishing  himself  in  a 
small  retail  business  in  Washington  street,  and  called  this  morn- 
ing to  secure  of  me  a  loan  of  two  thousand  dollars  for  that 
purpose." 

"  Indeed  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Hawley,  evidently  surprised  at  this 
announcement ;  "  but  you  do  not  think  of  loaning  that  sum,  do 
you?" 

"I  do  not  know,"  replied  Mr.  Barton.  "Mr.  Strosser  is  a 
young  man  of  business  talent  and  strict  integrity,  and  will  be 
likely  to  succeed  in  whatever  he  undertakes." 

"Perhaps  so,"  replied  Mr.  Hawley,  doubtfully  ;  "but  I  am 
heartily  tired  of  helping  to  re-establish  these  young  aspirants  for 
commercial  honors." 

"Have  you  ever  suffered  any  from  such  a  course ?"  inquired 
Mr.  Barton,  at  the  same  tune  casting  a  roguish  glance  at  Mr. 
Hawley. 

"  No,"  replied  the  latter,  "  for  I  never  felt  inclined  to  make 
an  investment  of  that  kind." 

"Then  here  is  a  fine  opportunity  to  do  so.  It  may  prove  bet- 
ter than  the  stock  in  the  bank.  As  for  myself,  I  have  concluded 
that,  if  you  will  advance-  him  one  thousand  dollars,  I  will  contri- 
bute an  equal  sum." 

"  Not  a  single  farthing  would  I  advance  for  such  a  purpose  ; 


126  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


and  if  you  make  an  investment  of  that  kind,  I  shall  consider  you 
very  foolish." 

Mr.  Barton  observed  a  silence  of  several  minutes,  and  then 
arose  to  depart. 

"If  you  do  not  feel  disposed  to  share  with  me  in  this  enter- 
prise, I  shall  advance  the  whole  sum  myself." 

Saying  which,  he  left  the  store. 

Ten  years  have  passed  away  since  the  occurrence  of  the  con- 
versation recorded  in  the  preceding  dialogue,  and  Mr.  Barton, 
pale  and  agitated,  is  standing  at  the  same  desk  as  when  first 
introduced  to  the  reader's  attention.  As  page  after  page  of  his 
ponderous  ledger  was  examined,  his  despair  became  deeper  and 
deeper,  till  at  last  he  exclaimed  : 

"  I  am  ruined — utterly  ruined  ! " 

"  How  so  ! "  inquired  Hiram  Strosser,  who  entered  the  count- 
ing-room ih  season  to  hear  Mr.  Barton's  remark. 

"The  last  European  steamer  brought  news  of  the  failure  of 
the  house  of  Perleh,  Jackson  &  Co.,  London,  who  are  indebted 
to  me  in  the  sum  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  News 
of  the  failure  has  become  general,  and  my  creditors,  panic- 
stricken,  are  pressing  in  my  papers  to  be  cashed.  The  banks 
refuse  me  credit,  and  I  have  not  the  means  to  meet  my  liabilities. 
If  I  could  pass  this  crisis,  perhaps  I  could  rally  again,  but  it  is 
impossible  ;  my  creditors  are  importunate,  and  I  can  not  much 
longer  keep  above  the  tide,"  replied  Mr.  Barton. 

"What  is  the  extent  of  your  liabilities  ?"  inquired  Strosser. 

"  Seventy-five  thousand  dollars,"  replied  Mr.  Barton. 

"  Would  that  sum  be  sufficient  to  relieve  you  ?" 

"  It  would." 

"Then,  sir,  you  shall  have  it,"  said  Strosser,  as  he  stepped  up 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  12T 


to  the  desk,  and  drew  a  check  for  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
"Here,  take  this,  and  when  you  need  more,  do  not  hesitate  to 
call  upon  me.  Remember  that  it  was  from  you  I  received  money 
to  establish  myself  in  business." 

"  But  that  debt  was  canceled  several  years  ago,"  replied  Mr. 
Barton,  as  a  ray  of  hope  shot  across  his  troubled  mind. 

"True,"  replied  Strosser,  "but  the  debt  of  gratitude  that  I 
owe  has  never  been  canceled,  and  now  that  the  scale  is  turned  I 
deem  it  my  duty  to  come  up  to  the  rescue." 

At  this  singular  turn  in  the  tide  of  fortune,  Mr.  Barton  fairly 
wept  for  joy. 

His  paper  was  taken  up  as  fast  as  it  was  sent  in.  and  in  less 
than  a  month  he  had  passed  the  crisis,  and  stood  perfectly  safe 
and  secure  ;  his  credit  increased  and  his  business  improved,  while 
several  other  firms  sunk  under  the  blow,  and  could  not  rally, 
among  whom  was  Mr.  Hawley,  alluded  to  at  the  commencement 
of  this  article. 

"  How  did  you  manage  to  keep  above  the  tide?"  inquired 
Mr.  Hawley  of  Mr.  Barton,  one  morning,  several  months  after 
the  events  last  recorded,  as  he  met  the  latter  upon  the  street,  on 
his  way  to  his  place  of  business. 

"  Very  easily,  indeed,  I  can  assure  you,"  replied  Mr.  Barton. 

"Well  do  teh1  me  how,"  continued  Mr.  Hawley;  "I  lay 
claim  to  a  good  degree  of  shrewdness,  but  the  strongest  exercise 
of  my  wits  did  not  save  me  ;  and  yet,  you,  whose  liabilities  were 
twice  as  heavy  as  my  own,  have  stood  the  shock,  and  have  come 
off  even  bettered  by  the  storm." 

"The  truth  is,"  replied  Mr.  Barton,  "I  cashed  my  paper  as 
soon  as  it  was  sent  in." 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Mr.  Hawley,  regarding  Mr.  B.  with  a 
look  of  surprise,  "but  how  did  you  obtain  the  funds?  As  for 


128  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


my  part  I  could  not  obtain  a  dollar  credit,  the  banks  refused  to 
take  my  paper,  and  my  friends  even  deserted  me." 

"  A  little  investment  that  I  made  some  ten  years  ago,"  replied 
Mr.  Barton,  smiling,  "  has  recently  proved  exceedingly  profita- 
ble." 

"  Investment ! "  echoed  Mr.  Hawley — "  what  investment  ?" 

"Why,  do  you  not  remember  how  I  established  young  Stros- 
ser  in  business  some  ten  years  ago  ?  " 

"  0,  yes,  yes,"  replied  Mr.  Hawley,  as  a  ray  of  suspicion  lit 
up  his  countenance  "  but  what  of  that  ?" 

"  He  is  now  one  of  the  heaviest  dry  goods  dealers  in  the  city, 
and  when  this  calamity  came  on,  he  came  forward,  and  very 
generously  advanced  me  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  You 
know  I  told  you,  on  the  morning  I  called  to  offer  you  an  equal 
siare  of  the  stock,  that  it  might  prove  better  than  an  investment 
in  the  bank." 

During  this  announcement,  Mr.  Hawley's  eyes  were  bent 
intently  upon  the  ground,  and,  drawing  a  deep  sigh,  he  moved 
on,  dejected  and  sad,  while  Mr.  Barton  returned  to  his  place  of 
business,  with  his  mind  cheered  and  animated  by  thoughts  of  his 
singular  investment. 


73. 

"  HONESTY  is  the  best  policy;"  and  aside  from  the  considera- 
tion of  a  solemn  reckoning  hereafter,  it  is  the  surest  way  to 
worldly  thrift  and  prosperity.  But  to  honesty  there  must  be 
added  a  great  degree  of  caution  and  prudence.  Many  a  young 
man  has  been  led  by  the  consciousness  of  his  own  integrity  to 
place  such  confidence  in  mankind  a"s  to  render  him  an  easy  prey 
to  knaves  and  swindlers. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  129 


74. 

THE  best  delineation  of  the  credit  system,  or  the  best  illustra- 
tion of  its  operations,  showing  the  results  that  may  arise,  and  the 
number  of  individuals  that  may,  without  even  knowing  each 
other,  be  affected  by  the  act  of  a  single  individual,  we  find  in 
the  following  imaginary  dialogue  which  we  quote  from  the  Mobile 
Tribune.  It  contains,  childish  as  it  may  seem,  a  lesson  of  import, 
and  may  be  profitably  read  by  old  and  young.  It  purports  to 
be  a  conversation  between  a  cotton  dealer  and  his  child,  and  runs 
as  follows  : — 

Pa. — (Reading  a  newspaper,  mutters)  "  No  rise  in  the  rivers 
— never  going  to  rise  again,  I  believe,  wife." 

Little  Daughter. — "  I  wish  the  rivers  would  rise." 

Pa. — "Why,  what  have  you  got  to  do  with  the  river's  ris- 
ing?" 

Little.  Daughter. — "  A  great  deal,  papa,  for  then  the  boats 
would  nm." 

Pa. — "  And  what  have  you  to  do  with  the  boats  running  my 
child,  hey?" 

Little  Daughter. — "They  would  bring  the  cotton  down." 

Pa. — (Looking  over  his  spectacles) — "And  what  have  you  to 
do,  pet,  with  cotton  bales  ?  " 

Little  Daughter. — "Why,  if  the  cotton  was  down,  pa,  you 
would  be  able  to  sell  it  you  know,  dear  papa,"  smilingly. 

Pa.— "  And  what  then  ?" 

Little  Daughter. — "  You  would  have  plenty  of  money." 

Pa.— "Well?" 

Little  Daughter. — (Laying  her  little  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and 
looking  into  his  face) — 'When  you  could  pay  ma  that  gold 
twenty  dollar  piece  you  borrowed  of  her,  you  know,  papa." 


130  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


Pa. — "  And  what  then,  minx  ?" 

Little  Daughter. — "  Then  mamma  could  pay  Aunt  Sarah  that 
ten  dollars  she  owes  her." 

Pa. — "  Ay,  indeed  !     And  what  then  ?" 

Little  Daughter. — -"And  Aunt  Sarah  would  pay  sister  Jane 
that  dollar  she  promised  to  give  her  on  New  Year's,  but  didn't, 
'cos  she  didn't  have  no  cotton,  I  mean  money,  pa." 

Pa. — "  Well,  and  what  else  ? "  (Pa  lays  down  the  paper  and 
looks  at  her  curiously,  with  a  half  smile.) 

Little  Daughter. — "  Cousin  Jane  would  pay  brother  John  his 
fifty  cents  back,  and  he  said  when  he  got  it  he  would  give  me 
the  half  dime  he  owes  me,  and  two  dimes  to  buy  marbles,  and 
this  is  what  I  want  the  rivers  to  rise  for,  and  the  big  boats  to 
run  1  And  I  owe  nurse  the  other  dime,  and  must  pay  my 
debts." 

Pa  looked  at  ma.  "There  it  is,"  he  said,  "we  are  all,  big 
and  little,  like  a  row  of  bricks.  Touch  one,  and  presto !  away 
we  all  go,  down  to  my  little  Carrie.  She  has,  as  a  child,  as 
great  an  interest  in  the  rise  as  I  have.  We  are  all,  old  and 
young,  waiting  for  money  to  buy  marbles." 

75. 

GEORGE  DAVIDSON,  the  author  of  "  Trade,  and  Travel  in  the 
East,"  spent  twelve  months  in  Hong  Kong,  and  thus  speaks  of 
its  advantages  as  a  place  of  trade.  The  morality  of  his  remarks 
as  to  the  opium  trade,  are  rather  questionable  : — 

"  A  decisive  proof  of  the  eligibility  of  Hong  Kong  as  a  place 
of  trade,  and  of  its  importance  in  the  eyes  of  the  Chinese  them- 
selves, is  afforded  by  the  immense  sums  paid  by  some  of  them 
for  ground  on  which  to  build  Hongs,  where  they  can  deposit 
their  goods  with  safety,  beyond  the  reach  of  their  grasping 


FOB  MEBCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  131 


mandarins.  This  advantage  to  a  Chinaman  is  something  so  new, 
and  so  far  beyond  any  thing  he  ever  dreamed  of  enjoying,  that  I 
conceive  the  benefits  likely  to  accrue  from  it,  to  Hong  Kong, 
to  be  incalculable. 

"  Goods  stored  in  Canton  or  Macao,  the  property  of  a  China- 
man,  were  never  safe  in  the  event  of  their  owner  getting  into 
trouble  with  the  Chinese  authorities  ;  and,  if  the  property  of  for- 
eigners, they  could  not  be  insured  against  fire,  the  risk  arising 
from  the  universal  carelessness  of  the  Chinese,  and  the  consequent 
very  frequent  occurrence  of  extensive  conflagrations,  being  con- 
sidered too  great  by  the  underwriters.  Both  these  difficulties 
are  completely  obviated  in  Hong  Kong,  and  every  substantially 
built  house  and  warehouse,  together  with  the  property  in  them, 
were  insured  against  fire,  previously  to  my  quitting  the  island. 
One  Chinaman  had,  in  March  last,  completed  buildings  for  the 
storage  of  property  collected  from  the  different  ports  on  the 
coast,  on  which  upwards  of  forty  thousand  dollars  had  been  laid 
out,  and  what  is  more,  they  were  already  well  filled. 

"  As  a  convenient  and  safe  depot  for  opium,  (a  trade,  hi  my 
opinion,  quite  as  legitimate  and  honorable  as  that  in  brandy, 
gin,  and  other  spirits, )  Hong  Kong  is  admirably  situated.  The 
purchaser  from  the  western  ports  as  well  as  from  the  north- 
eastern, finds  the  distance  he  has  to  travel  moderate,  and,  on  his 
arrival,  has  no  one  to  dread,  no  mandarin  daring  to  show  his  face 
on  shore.  The  ships  that  bring  the  drug  from  India  here  find  a 
safe  and  commodious  harbor,  where  they  can  unload  their  car- 
goes in  open  day,  without  hindrance  or  molestation,  and  where 
they  are  not  driven  to  the  necessity  of  carrying  on  then*  opera- 
tions in  the  dark.  Were  the  opium  trade  actually  one  of  mere 
smuggling,  I  would  be  as  ready  as  any  one  to  condemn  it,  and 
to  raise  my  voice  against  those  concerned  in  it ;  but  when  one 


132  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


considers  that  not  a  hundredth  part  of  the  quantity  sold  annually 
is  really  smuggled — that  ninety-nine  chests  out  of  every  hundred 
pay  a  heavy  duty  (miscalled  a  bribe, ) — that  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment derives  from  it,  indirectly,  but  not  the  less  certainly,  a  very 
considerable  revenue — and  finally,  that  large  quantities  of  it  are 
known  to  be  consumed  within  the  walls  of  the  imperial  palace  at 
Pekin,  I  confess  I  see  no  reason  for  the  clamorous  indignation 
with  which  the  traffic  has  of  late  been  assailed  by  European 
moralists." 

76. 

NORTH  American  and  French  whalers  have,  for  several  years, 
been  frequent  visitors  to  San  Carlos,  Peru,  as  they  can  there 
provide  themselves,  at  a  cheap  rate,  with  provisions  for  the  long 
fishing  season.  All  the  captains  bring  goods  which  they  smug- 
gle on  shore,  where  they  sell  or  exchange  them  at  a  high  profit. 
A  custom-house  officer  is,  indeed,  sent  on  board  every  vessel  to 
examine  what  is  to  be  unshipped  ;  but  a  few  dollars  will  silence 
him,  and  make  him  favor  the  contraband  operations,  which  are 
carried  on  without  much  reserve.  A  French  captain  brought  to 
Chiloe  a  quantity  of  water-proof  cloaks  and  hats,  made  of  a  sort 
of  black  waxed  cloth,  and  sold  them  to  a  dealer  in  San  Carlos. 
To  evade  the  duty,  he  sent  his  men  on  shore,  each  wearing  one 
of  these  hats  and  cloaks,  which  they  deposited  in  the  dealer's 
store,  and  then  returned  on  board  the  ship,  dressed  in  their  sail- 
or's garb.  This  was  repeated  so  often,  that  at  length  it  was 
intimated  to  the  captain,  that  if  his  men  had  a  fancy  to  come  on 
shore  with  such  hats  and  cloaks,  they  would  be  permitted  to  do 
so,  but  it  must  be  on  condition  of  their  returning  on  board  dressed 
in  the  same  costume. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  133 


17. 

THE  calling  of  the  Merchant  acquires  a  new  importance  in 
modern  times.  Once,  Nations  were  cooped  up,  each  in  its  own 
climate  and  language.  Then,  WAR  was  the  only  mediator 
between  them.  They  met  but  in  the  battle-field,  or  in  solemn 
embassies  to  treat  for  peace.  Now,  TRADE  is  the  Mediator. 
They  meet  on  the  Exchange.  To  the  Merchant,  no  man  who 
cau  trade  is  a  foreigner.  His  wares  prove  him  a  citizen.  Gold 
and  silver  are  cosmopolitan.  Once,  in  some  of  the  old  govern- 
ments, the  magistrates  swore,  "  I  will  be  evil-minded  towards  the 
People,  and  will  devise  against  them  the  worst  thing  I  can." 
Now,  they  swear  to  keep  the  laws  which  the  People  have  made. 
Once,  the  great  question  was,  How  large  is  the  standing  army  ? 
Now,  What  is  the  amount  of  the  national  earnings  ?  States- 
men ask  less  for  the  Ships  of  the  Line,  than  for  the  Ships  of 
Trade.  They  fear  an  over-importation  oftener  than  a  war,  and 
settle -their  difficulties  in  Gold  and  Silver,  not  as  before,  with  Iron. 
All  ancient  States  were  military  ;  the  modern,  mercantile.  War 
is  getting  out  of  favor  as  property  increases  and  men  get  their 
eyes  open.  Once,  every  man  feared  Death,  Captivity,  or  at  least 
Robbery,  in  War ;  now,  the  worst  fear  is  of  Bankruptcy  and 
Pauperism.  This  is  a  wonderful  change.  Look  at  some  of  the 
signs  thereof.  Once,  Castles  and  Forts  were  the  finest  build- 
ings ;  now,  Exchanges,  Shops,  Custom-Houses,  and  Banks. 
Once,  men  built  a  Chinese  Wall  to  keep  out  the  strangers — for 
stranger  and  foe  were  the  same  ;  now,  men  build  Railroads  and 
Steamships  to  bring  them  in.  England  was  once  a  stronghold 
of  Robbers — her  four  seas  but  so  many  castle-moats  ;  now,  she 
is  a  great  Harbor,  with  four  Ship-Channels.  Once,  her  chief 
must  be  a  bold,  cunning  Fighter ;  now,  a  good  Steward  and 


:134  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


Financier.  Not  to  strike  a  hard  blow,  but  to  make  a  good  bar- 
gain, is  the  thing.  Formerly,  the  most  enterprising  and  hopeful 
young  men  sought  fame  and  fortune  in  deeds  of  arms  ;  now,  an 
army  is  only  a  common  sewer,  and  most  of  those  who  go  to  the 
war,  if'-;they  never  return,  "have  left  their  country  for  their 
country's  good."  In  days  gone  by,  constructive  Art  could  build 
nothing  better  than  Hanging  Gardens,  and  the  Pyramids — fool- 
ishly sublime  ;  now,  it  makes  docks,  canals,  iron  roads,  and  mag- 
netic telegraphs.  Saint  Louis,  in  his  old  age,  got  up  a  crusade, 
and  saw  his  soldiers  die  of  the  fever  at  Tunis  ;  now,  the  King 
of  the  French  sets  up  a  Factory,  and  will  clothe  his  people  in 
cottons  and  woollens.  The  old  Douglas  and  Percy  were  clad  in 
iron,  and  harried  the  land  on  both  sides  of  the  Tweed  ;  their 
descendants  now  are  civil-suited  men  who  keep  the  peace.  No 
girl  trembles  though  "  all  the  blue  bonnets  are  over  the  border." 
The  warrior  has  become  a  Shop-keeper. 

"  Lord  Stafford  mines  for  coal  and  salt : 

\ 

The  Duke  of  Norfolk  deals  in  malt, 

The  Douglas  in  red  herrings ; 
And  noble  name  and  cultured  land, 
Palace,  and  park,  and  vassal  band, 
Are  powerless  to  the  notes  of  hand 

Of  Rothschild  or  the  Barings." 

18. 

COMMERCE,  as  well  as  life,  has  its  auspicious  ebbs  and  flows, 
that  baffle  human  sagacity,  and  defeat  the  most  rational  arrange- 
ment of  systems,  and  all  the  calculations  of  ordinary  prudence. 
Be  prepared,  therefore,  at  all  times,  for  commercial  revulsions 
and  financial  difficulties,  by  which  thousands  have  been  reduced 
to  beggary,  who  before  had  rioted  in  opulence,  and  thought  they 
might  bid  defiance  to  misfortune. 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AXD   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  135t 


79. 

BY  every  variety  of  commentary,  has  almost  every  fibre  of  the 
character  of  that  extraordinary  man,  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  been 
illustrated.  His  military  talent  has,  in  all  its  phatts^  been 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  world — weighed,  analyzed,  reviewed 
— until  it  has  come  out  of  its  fierce  ordeal,  established,  as  of  the 
very  first  order  of  judgment,  energy,  bravery.  His  reputation 
as  a  statesman  has  been  blazoned  abroad  with  a  vigor,  derived 
alike  from  the  truth  and  its  forcible  use.  Men  have  honored 
themselves  by  giving  the  power  of  their  intellect  to  the  history 
of  his  devotion  to  his  country.  All  his  movements  in  war — all 
his  acts  in  the  cabinet,  are  on  record  ;  and  he  is  one  of  the  very 
few  men  that  ever  trod  the  earth,  of  whose  reputation  it  is  safe, 
that  the  knowledge  of  it  should  be  thorough. 

But  George  Washington  was  a  great  man,  in  other  departs 
ments  of  life  than  those  blended  with  the  army  and  state  ;  and 
it  is  to  a  feature  in  his  character,  less  prominently  before  the 
world,  but  one  of  the  most  valuable,  of  which  we  would  speak 
in  this  article.  It  is  the  order,  regularity,  method,  punctuality, 
and,  above  all,  the  rectitude — the  unsullied  and  unchangeable 
devotion  to  his  engagements,  which  distinguished  him,  and 
which,  combined,  are  the  very  qualities  that  make  up  the  mer- 
chant. In  all  these,  the  example  of  Washington  may  fittingly 
be  urged  upon  the  consideration  of  the  merchants  of  the  Union- 
The  old  merchants  of  the  colonies  were  the  very  men  who 
periled  the  most  in  arraying  themselves  on  the  side  of  a  separa- 
tion from  England.  Theirs  was  no  cheap  patriotism — no  offering 
of  words  ;  but  the  severing  of  a  profitable  mercantile  connection 
— the  riving  asunder  of  relations  that  involved  sacrifices  alike 
keen  and  costly.  From  among  those  merchants,  some  of  the 


136  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


most  valued  and  useful  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  revolu- 
tion were  taken,  and  they  proved  themselves  as  active  in  the 
trade  of  war,  as  they  had  ever  been  vigilant  in  the  war  of  trade. 

The  education  of  Washington  was  purely  a  practical  one.  All 
that  he  added  to  this  was  the  result  of  efforts  in  maturer  life, 
generally  made,  as  events  demonstrated  the  particular  necessity 
of  the  study.  This  was  a  business  foundation,  early  laid  ;  and 
though  at  a  time  of  life  when  boyhood  is  usually  in  its  reckless- 
ness, the  various  parts  of  a  business  education  were  thoroughly 
built  up  in  his  character. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  studied  the  intricate  forms  of 
business  with  an  ardor  which  showed  what  was  in  him — with  a 
method  which  demonstrated  how  that  was  to  be  developed.  He 
copied  out  bills  of  exchange,  notes  of  hand,  bills  of  sale,  receipts, 
and  all  the  varieties  of  the  class,  which  he  denominated  "  Forms 
of  Writing,"  and  these  are  remarkable  for  the  precision  and 
the  elegance  with  which  they  are  copied.  His  manuscripts,  even 
then,  were  of  the  utmost  neatness  and  uniformity  ;  the  diagrams 
always  beautiful ;  the  colums  and  tables  of  figures  exact,  and  in 
unstained  and  unblotted  order.  Old  Tim  Linkinwater  would 
have  looked  most  approvingly  over  his  work,  and  admitted 
"  George"  to  the  awful  books  of  "  Cheeryble,  Brothers."  His 
excellent  historian,  Mr.  Sparks,  who  has  given  us  that  rarest  of 
all  books,  a  reliable  biography,  remarks,  that  these  excellent 
habits  of  method  and  order,  thus  early  formed,  continued 
throughout  life.  His  business  papers,  ledgers,  day-books,  in 
which  none  wrote  but  himself,  were  models  of  exactness.  The 
description  of  them  might  apply  to  those  of  the  most  careful  book- 
keeper in  our  metropolis.  Every  fact  had  its  place,  and  was 
recorded  in  a  plain,  clear  handwriting,  and  there  was  neither 
interlineation,  blot,  or  blemish  !  Frank  Osbaldistone's  father 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  137 


could  have  asked  no  more.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  with  such 
ideas  of  what  the  methods  of  a  business  man  should  be,  we 
should  find  as  one  of  his  "  Rules  of  Behavior," — a  code  of  laws 
drawn  up  for  his  own  government,  when  at  the  immature  age  to 
which  we  have  already  referred,  and  wonderful  hi  their  fitness — 
the  following : — 

"  12th.  Let  your  discourse  with  men  of  business  be  short  and 
comprehensive." 

In  the  46th.  "Undertake  not  what  you  cannot  perform,  but 
be  careful  to  keep  your  promise." 

These  rules — this  manifestation  of  a  "  business  talent," — were 
not  merely  the  development  of  some  teuijxjrary  purpose,  but 
firmly  fastened  rules  of  life,  which  were  made  to  mould  his  life, 
and  their  value  to  him  soon  became  manifest.  He  left  school  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  ;  and  such  was  his  reputation  for  probity 
and  habits  of  business — for  diligence  and  habits  of  dispatch — 
that  several  eminent  Virginia  gentlemen  were  anxious  to  secure 
his  services  ;  and  he  soon  became  busied  in  laborious  duties, 
the  cares  of  which  found  an  agreeable  relief  by  the  society  of 
his  cherished  brother  Lawrence,  at  Mount  Vernon,  a  name, 
whose  associations  were  thereafter  to  be  rendered  so  glorious. 
With  that  brother,  in  1751,  he  left  the  soil  of  his  country  for 
the  first  and  last  time,  and  made  a  visit  of  four  months  to 
the  West  Indies.  Throughout  all  this  tour,  the  traits  of  char- 
acter, of  which  this  article  is  particularly  designed  to  speak, 
were  constantly  manifesting  themselves.  .He  daily  copied  the 
log-book,  noted  every  thing,  looked  at  every  thing,  and  was 
never  idle.  When  at  Barbadoes,  the  commerce  of  the  Island 
was  one  of  the  subjects,  concerning  which,  he  made  investiga- 
tion, and  about  which,  he  made  appropriate  records  in  his 
journal. 


138  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


The  time  soon  came  for  him  to  be  the  actor  in  the  greater 
scenes  of  life,  and  were  it  within  the  design  of  this  article  to 
follow  his  steady  advance  from  one  station  of  usefulness  and 
honor  to  another,  it  would  only  be  to  point  to  the  same  unchang- 
ing rectitude,  and  fidelity  to  every  engagement — the  same  precise 
order — the  same  undeviating  exactness.  The  boy,  who  had 
with  such  care  collated  and  prepared  the  details  of  an  exercise  at 
school,  brought  into  like  order  the  statistics  necessary  to  be 
studied  before  a  campaign  could  be  wisely  commenced.  Every 
thing  that  could  illustrate  the  duty  of  the  soldier — the  province 
of  the  commander — the  plan  of  attack  or  defence — the  topog- 
raphy of  the  field  of  battle — was,  by  his  indomitable  industry, 
his  steadfast  method,  brought  into  a  condensed  form,  that  it 
might  be  easily  grasped  by  the  mind — that  "the  business"  of 
the  war  might  be  well  done. 

Nor  was  it  in  war  alone,  that  the  man  of  order  developed 
himself.  We  quote,  in  full,  what  Mr.  Sparks  says  upon  the 
subject  of  his  conduct  in  this  respect,  when  President  of  the 
United  States  : — 

"  During  the  presidency,  it  was  likewise  his  custom  to  subject 
the  treasury  reports  and  accompanying  documents  to  the  process 
of  tutnler  condensation,  with  a  vast  expenditure  of  labor  and 
patience  ;  but  it  enabled  him  to  grasp,  and  retain  in  their  order, 
a  series  of  isolated  facts,  and  the  results  of  a  complicated  mass 
of  figures,  which  could  never  have  been  mastered  so  effectually 
by  any  other  mode  of  approaching  them." 

From  1159  to  1764,  Washington  was,  hi  some  measure,  an 
acting  merchant ;  for,  in  that  calmest  period  of  his  life — after 
the  brief,  but  brilliant  episode  of  the  Braddock  campaign,  most 
honorable  to  himself,  however  disastrous  to  one  whose  name  was 
more  prominent,  and  before  the  great  drama  of  the  revolution — 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  139 


he  regularly  exported  to  London  the  product  of  his  large  estate 
on  the  Potomac.  The  shipments  were  made  in  his  own  name, 
and  to  his  correspondents  in  Bristol  and  Liverpool,  to  which 
places  his  tobacco  was  consigned.  Are  there  none  of  those  pre- 
cious bills  of  lading  yet  in  existence  ?  They  would  be  valued  by 
many  of  us,  on  this  side  of  the  water,  at  least,  as  evidences 
of  the  attention  which  he  gave  to  all  his  business. 

In  return  for  the  articles  exported,  it  was  his  custom,  twice  in 
each  year,  to  import,  at  that  period,  from  London,  the  goods 
which  he  desired  to  use ;  and  Mr.  Sparks  thus  delineates  how 
accurately  he  fulfilled  his  duties  as  an  importer  : — 

"  He  required  his  agent  to  send  him,  in  addition  to  a  general 
bill  of  the  whole,  the  original  vouchers  of  the  shopkeepers  and 
mechanics,  from  whom  purchases  had  been  made. 

"  So  particular  was  he  in  these  concerns,  that  he  recorded 
with  his  own  hand,  in  books  prepared  for  the  purpose,  all  the 
long  lists  of  orders,  and  copies  of  the  multifarious  receipts  from 
the  different  merchants  and  tradesmen  who  had  supplied  the 
goods.  In  this  way,  he  kept  a  perfect  oversight  of  the  business  ; 
ascertained  the  prices  ;  could  detect  any  imposition,  mismanage- 
ment, or  carelessness,  and  tell  when  any  advantage  was  taken  of 
him;  of  which,  if  he  discovered  any,  he  did  not  fail  to  remind 
his  correspondents." 

And  all  this,  we  must  remember,  was  while  he  had  the  charge 
of  the  vast  estate  of  Mount  Vernon,  and  while  he  was  dispens- 
ing a  large  and  generous  hospitality. 

When  the  French  war  had  ended,  it  became  his  duty  to  attend 
to  the  settlement  of  the  complicated  military  accounts  of  the 
colony  of  Virginia,  a  task  arduous  enough,  but,  like  all  the 
other  duties  of  his  life,  faithfully  performed. 

The  war  of  the  revolution  left  him  no  leisure  for  personal 


140  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AXD    MISCELLANIES 


attendance  on  his  private  business,  but  yet  it  was  never 
neglected.  He  could  not  be  personally  present ;  but  while  the 
noises  of  the  camp,  the  preparations  for  battle,  the  deliberations 
of  councils,  were  all  shared  hi  to  the  utmost,  his  correspondence 
about  his  home  affairs,  were  as  thorough  and  minute,  as  though 
he  had  been  an  absentee  of  leisure. 

His  accounts,  while  engaged  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
were  so  accurately  kept,  that  to  this  hour  they  are  an  example 
held  up  before  the  nation.  His  habits  of  business  enabled  him, 
amidst  the  tumult  of  the  revolution — its  fierce  contests — its  suffer- 
ings and  disorders,  to  so  methodize  and  record  all  the  business 
incidents  of  each  day,  that  the  end  of  the  war  found  him  pre- 
pared to  lay  before  Congress  the  exact  statement  of  his  expendi- 
tures. There  was  about  liirn  a  pervading  principle  of  order,  not 
of  a  lifeless,  sluggish  cast,  but  life-like  aud  energetic  ;  so  that, 
while  every  thing  was  well  done,  it  was  done  in  tune  and  in  ear- 
nest. 

Let  any  one  read  his  will,  and  they  will  rise  up  from  the  peru- 
sal with  the  conviction,  that  a  more  thorough  man  of  business 
never  lived.  There  have  been  many  documents  of  a  similar  kind, 
drawn  up  with  wonderful  care  and  labor,  and  at  vast  remunera- 
tion, by  gentlemen  learned  in  the  law,  but  none  where  every 
incident  is  so  carefully  attended  to — not  in  the  spirit  of  fearful- 
ness  of  flaws  and  evasions,  and  all  the  thousand  munitions  of 
attack  to  which  they  resort  who  "break"  wills — but  hi  the 
orderly,  sound,  business-like  manner,  in  which  a  Gresham  might 
have  written  his  projection  of  an  exchange. 

But  we  need  point  to  no  isolated  instance.  His  whole  life 
establishes  the  fact,  that  a  more  perfect  man  of  business  never 
lived  than  was  George  Washington. 

Valueless,  indeed,  hi  the  comparison,  had  they  stood  alone, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  •       141 


would  all  this  method,  and  order,  and  industry  be.  A  merchant 
may  have  all  these,  and  yet  be  but  sagacious  and— unprincipled  ; 
but  of  this  man,  a  nobler  record  is  left  to  us.  I  quote  only 
what  Thomas  Jefferson  has  said,  and  he  spoke  certainly  with  no 
improper  bias  : — 

"  HIS  INTEGRITY  WAS  MOST  PURE." 

To  the  merchant  of  the  United  States,  the  example  of  Pater 
Patrice  has  not  been,  and  will  not  be  lost.  So  prompt  to  do — 
so  exact  in  doing — so  wise  to  know  what  was  to  be  done — so 
prudent  as  to  what  should  not  be  done — such  unsullied  honesty — 
such  pure  integrity.  These  are  the  qualities  that,  combined, 
make  up  the  good  and  great  merchant ;  and  as  they  were  emi- 
nent in  George  Washington,  may  he  not  be  claimed  as  well  by 
the  merchants,  as  by  the  soldiers,  or  farmers,  or  statesmen  ? 

80. 

A  MAN  who  has  any  feeling  of  honor,  would  rather  die  out- 
right than  become  a  bankrupt,  and  any  reasonable  sacrifice  he 
would  willingly  consent  to.  Misfortune  is  one  thing — impru- 
dence another — and  knavery  the  climax.  When  a  man  is 
unfortunate,  he  is  deservedly  an  object  of  sympathy.  To  such, 
I  would  say,  the  moment  you  find  yourself  in  embarrassed  cir- 
cumstances, and  perceive  that  you  cannot  extricate  yourself, 
without  speculating  with  what  docs  not  belong  to  you,  call  a 
private  meeting  of  your  creditors,  and  lay  before  them  the  en- 
tire state  of  your  affairs.  Make  a  proposition  of  what  you 
think  you  will  be  able  to  pay,  towards  the  liquidation  of  their 
claims,  and  trust  to  their  generosity  to  accept  it.  You  will  then 
be  taken  by  the  hand  by  your  creditors — get  a  release — and  per- 
haps, with  their  kind  assistance  and  advice,  become  a  better  man 
of  business  than  ever  you  were, — but  keep  nothing  back. 


142  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


81. 

In  the  ports  upon  our  coast  engaged  in  that  important  branch 
of  American  commercial  enterprise,  the  whale  fishery,  the  arri- 
val of  a  ship  from  its  long  voyage  to  the  South  Atlantic,  or 
Pacific  Oceans,  is  an  exciting  event,  that  often  gives  rise  to 
scenes  of  thrilling  interest.  Sometimes,  a  ship  that  has  not  been 
heard  from  for  several  months,  makes  its  appearance  ;  and  of 
course,  the  anxiety  of  those  interested  is  intense,  to  ascertain  her 
success,  and  if  all  her  crew  have  returned  in  safety. 

THE  Spring,  the  quickening  Spring's  sweet  voice, 

Runs  whispering  o'er  the  ground  ; 
Streams  gushing  from  their  chains  rejoice, 

Young  buds  breathe  sweetness  round. 
Why  pace  those  groups  the  sunny  shore  ? 
Why  climb  yon  hill-top  o'er  and  o'er? 
What  wanderers  on  the  dark  blue  main, 
Will  Spring's  soft  breath  bring  back  again  ? 

They  linger  on  the  beach — they  gaze, 

And  sigh,  as  at  their  feet 
The  breaking  billow  moans  and  plays, 

Half  sorrowful,  half  sweet. 
A  speck  appears—"  A  sail!  a  sail ! 
Swelling  before  the  landward  gale ! 
She's  large — how  high  that  mast  ascends! 
A  ship !  a  ship ! — our  friends !  our  friends !" 

Strain  every  eye  ;  look  long,  look  far — 

She  comes,  deep  laden — low ; 
The  first,  full  ship — the  morning  star — 

Why  move  her  wings  so  slow  ? 
Hearts  rise,  hearts  sink — 'tis  hope,  'tis  fear  ; 
The  joyous  shout,  the  trembling  tear. 
What  hath  time  done,  on  sea  or  shore  ? 
Will  all  that  parted  meet  once  more  ? 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  143 


Her  cannon  speaks,  her  streamers  swell, 

Abroad  her  signals  fly  ; 
Jill's  well!— she's  standing  in!  Jill's  well! 

A  hundred  voices  cry. 
How  bold,  how  giant-like  her  state  ! 
That  deep-sunk  keel  bears  costly  freight — 
Those  thunders  quick  and  loud  declare 
Success  and  health  are  regent  there. 

They  land,  and  meet  the  long-worn  clasp 

Of  friendship's  welcome  hand  : 
The  loud  acclaim,  the  hearty  grasp, 

Of  hundreds  on  the  strand  : 
The  bursting  questions  and  replies, 
Half  said,  half  answered  ;  tears  and  cries  ; 
The  rush  for  home,  the  long  embrace — 
O  who  such  glowing  scenes  can  trace  ? 

Another  sail ! — no  cannon  roars. 

No  pendants  strike  the  air  ; 
How  hushed,  how  sad  she  nears  the  shore ! 

Death's  angel  has  been  there. 
Boats  float  around — no  shouts  are  heard, 
No  echoes  with  rejoicing  stirred. 
That  low  flag  casts  a  gloomy  shade 
O'er  decks  where  death  his  pall  hath  laid. 

A  mother  watched  the  treacherous  main 

Long  for  that  ship's  return  ; 
A  maiden's  heart  is  rent  in  twain, 

The  dismal  truth  to  learn  ; 
Oft  on  the  star-light  beach  she  strayed, 
And  for  the  wandering  seaman  prayed  ; 
Or  chid  the  winds  and  waves  that  brought 
No  tidings  of  the  friends  she  sought. 


144  MAXD1S,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


Vain  was  the  maid's  or  mother's  tear — 

His  lot  was  bold  and  brief ; 
His  comrades  land,  and  give  no  cheer, 

For  they  have  lost  their  chief. 
Thus  sounds  of  mirth,  and  sounds  of  wo, 
From  heart  to  heart  together  flow  ; 
And  boundless  joy  and  anguish  stern 
Are  mingled  when  the  ships  return. 

Yet  still  to  Thee  our  souls  we  raise, 

O  Lord  of  land  and  sea ! 
In  bliss  or  wo,  the  wings  of  praise 

Shall  still  mount  up  to  thee. 
The  wife's  glad  smile,  the  mother's  tear, 
The  funeral  wail,  the  welcome  cheer, 
All  rising  from  the  heart's  bright  urn, 
Shall  praise  Thee  for  the  ship's  return. 

82. 

THE  time  has  been,  when  a  verbal  contract  between  two  par- 
ties would  be  considered  binding.  The  world  since  then  has 
changed,  and  hi  order  to  be  perfectly  safe  from  loss  or  injury,  I 
advise  my  readers  to  deal  with  every  man  and  woman,  so  far  as 
business  is  concerned,  as  if  they  were  rogues.  They  may  start, 
but  I  state  no  more  than  what  is  necessary  to  be  done.  As  for 
friends — with  them,  still  greater  precautions  are  needful.  Let 
nothing  of  any  moment  whatever  be  undertaken  without  its 
being  first  penned  down  hi  black  and  white,  and  signed  in  the 
presence  of  a  witness.  You  have  then  some  data  to  go  upon, 
and  can  right  yourself,  in  case  of  necessity,  hi  a  court  of  law. 
A  want  of  attention  to  these  points  hi  early  life,  cost  me  some 
thousands.  I  paid  dearly  for  my  experience,  but  if  I  may  yet 
be  serviceable  to  my  fellow-tradesmen,  the  money  will  not  have 
been  altogether  thrown  away. 


FOB    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OK    BUSINESS.  1  i5 


83. 

TIIE  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hume,  missionary  at  Bombay,  to  the  editor  of  the  "Daysjrrwg" 
Mr.  Hume  says  there  are  about  twenty-five  thousand  Parsees,  or 
followers  of  Zoroaster,  resident  in  Boinbay,  and  that  they  consti- 
tute the  most  intelligent,  enterprising  and  wealthy  class  of  the 
native  population.  Our  own  favored  Christendom,  (we  say  it 
reverently,)  is  not  without  its  praying  merchants,  who  know  how 
to  drive  a  good  bargain  : — 

"  A  few  days  since,  I  had  occasion  to  go  into  the  shop  of  a 
Parsee,  with  whom  I  am  considerably  acquainted.  It  was  in 
the  afternoon,  and  I  found  him  standing  on  the  steps  of  his  shop, 
with  his  face  toward  the  setting  sun,  busily  engaged  in  repeating 
his  prayers.  Many  people  were  passing  along  the  street  just 
before  him ;  but  this  seemed  to  cause  him  no  concern,  unless 
when  he  had  occasion  to  bow  to  some  acquaintance.  When  I 
turned  to  enter  his  shop,  he  gave  me  a  very  cordial  salutation, 
bowing  and  waving  his  hand  for  me  to  enter,  but  all  the  time 
repeating  his  prayers  as  rapidly  as  ever.  Perceiving  that  no  one 
was  present  in  the  shop  to  attend  to  me,  he  clapped  his  hands 
several  times,  making  a  loud  noise,  the  object  of  which  seemed 
to  be  well  understood  by  the  family,  as  his  son,  a  young  man  of 
about  twenty  years  of  age,  came  running  into  the  shop. 

"I  asked  him  the  price  of  the  article  which  I  had  come  to 
purchase  ;  when  he,  being  in  doubt,  went  and  inquired  of  his 
father,  who,  with  the  fore-finger  of  the  right  hand,  wrote  upon 
the  palm  of  the  other  the  price  to  be  charged.  The  young  man 
then  came  back  and  told  what  his  father  had  said  ;  but  the  price 
being  extravagant,  I  objected  to  it,  and  told  him  what  I  would 
.  give.  The  young  man,  not  feeling  at  liberty  to  act  on  bis  own 
responsibility,  went  and  reported  my  offer  to  his  father,  who 

7 


146  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


shook  bis  head,  and  again  wrote  on  his  hand,  as  before,  a  sum 
considerably  less  than  the  first  mentioned.  The  young  man 
again  came  and  stated  the  price  now  asked  ;  which  being  still 
very  unreasonable,  I  was  about  to  leave,  but  said  I  would  give 
him  the  sum  offered  at  first  if  he  chose  to  take  it.  The  young 
man  again  hastened  to  his  father  with  my  offer,  and,  as  he  shook 
his  head  at  this,  I  passed  out  at  another  door,  leaving  him  repeat- 
ing his  prayers  as  busily  as  ever.  While  I  remained,  he  appeared 
much  interested  in  what  was  passing  in  the  shop  ;  and  although 
praying  with  his  face  in  an  opposite  direction,  he  every  moment 
turned  so  far  about  as  to  catch  a  glance  of  us,  and  observe  what 
we  were  doing. 

"  The  person  here  mentioned  is  an  intelligent,  shrewd  business 
man  ;  but,  alas,  how  blind  in  regard  to  spiritual  matters  !  He 
readily  acknowledged  that  we  are  indebted  to  God  for  every 
thing  ;  but  I  have  often  seen  him,  early  in  the  morning,  bowing 
reverently  in  succession  to  the  different  articles  in  his  shop,  mut- 
tering over  something  at  the  same  tune.  This  is  done  from  a 
superstitious  belief  that  it  may  secure  him  good  prices  and  pros- 
perous business." 

84. 

THE  following  instance  of  the  unexampled  liberality  of  an 
English  merchant,  towards  an  absconding  fraudulent  debtor, 
which  originally  appeared  in  the  Boston  Post,  is  well  worth 
recording  in  a  volume  of  "Maxims,  Morals  and  Miscellanies," 
illustrating,  as  it  does,  in  some  degree,  the  divine  principle  of 
" overcoming  evil  with  good": — 

"In  March,  1846,  Andrew  Y.  Leeman,  mahogany  dealer, 
London,  finding  himself  embarrassed  in  his  affairs,  proceeded  to 
collect  all  the  debts  that  were  due  to  him,  without  paying  off 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  147 


any.  In  a  short  time,  he  raised  full  fifty  thousand  dollars,  or 
over  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling.  With  this  sum  in  his  pocket, 
he  took  passage  for  Boston,  in  the  Britannia,  in  May.  His 
creditors,  as  soon  as  his  flight  was  known,  attached  his  effects, 
and  had  him  decreed  a  fraudulent  bankrupt.  Then  Mr.  W.  B. 
Winter,  one  of  the  principal  creditors,  provided  with  a  record 
of  the  judgment  against  Leeman,  started  in  the  Caledonia  in 
pursuit,  and  upon  arriving  in  Boston,  traced  him,  through  Mr. 
Henshaw,  the  broker,  to  whom  he  had  offered  some  English 
money  for  sale.  Deputy  Sheriff  Freeman  arrested  Leeman,  who 
at  once  gave  up  the  ten  thousand  pounds,  in  Bank  of  England 
notes  and  sovereigns ;  but  in  consequence  of  his  former  good 
standing  and  honorable  course  as  a  man  of  business,  Mr.  Win- 
ter restored  to  him  one  thousand  pounds,  nearly  five  thousand 
dollars,  and  promised  to*  give  his  wife  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  more,  when  he  returned  to  England." 

85. 

SYREEN,  a  custom-house  officer  at  Liverpool,  apprehended  a 
woman  named  Eliza  Smith,  a  passenger  on  board  an  American 
vessel,  on  suspicion  of  having  smuggled  tobacco  in  her  possession. 
Upon  examining  her  dress,  seventeen  pounds  of  tobacco  were 
found  concealed  under  it ;  but  the  most  remarkable  of  the  expe- 
dients which  had  been  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  deceiving 
the  lynx-eyed  deputies  of  the  customs,  was  that  of  giving  to  the 
contraband  leaf  the  resemblance  of  a  loaf.  A  quantity  of  cut 
tobacco  had  been  pressed  into  a  tin,  over  which  a  thin  layer  of 
dough  was  spread,  which,  being  baked,  had  the  appearance  to 
the  eye  of  a  veritable  loaf.  The  quantity  of  tobacco  which  the 
woman  had  contrived  to  secret  in  this,  and  other  modes, 
amounted  to  no  less  than  seventy  pounds. 


148  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


86. 

"A  SERMON  of  Merchants,  preached  at  the  Melodeon,  on 
Sunday,  November  22d,  1846,  by  THEODORE  PARKER,  Minister 
of  the  .Twenty-Eighth  Congregational  Church  in  Boston,"  was 
published  at  the  time  by  request.  The  text,  or  rather  motto,  as 
it  has  very  little  to  do  with  the  character  of  the  discourse,  from 
Ecclesiasticus  xxvii.  2,  "As  a  nail  sticketh  fast,  between  the  joinings 
of  the  stones,  so  doth  sin  stick  dose  between  buying  and  selling," 
tells  a  truth,  which  scarcely  loses  any  of  its  force,  although 
derived  from  a  portion  of  the  Bible  that  has  been  rejected  by 
orthodox  authority,  as  forming  no  part  or  parcel  of  the  inspired 
writings.  Mr.  Parker  points  out,  in  his  usual  manly,  candid, 
and  forcible  manner,  what  he  conceives  to  be  the  POSITION, 
TEMPTATIONS,  OPPORTUNITIES,  INFLUENCE  and  DUTY  of  MER- 
CHANTS. He  distributes  men  into  four  classes.  1.  The  men 
who  create  new  material  for  human  use,  either  by  digging  it  out 
of  mines  and  quarries,  fishing  it  out  of  the  sea,  or  raising  it  out 
of  the  land,  as  Producers.  2.  Men  who  transform  this  material 
into  other  shapes,  fitting  it  for  human  use  ;  men  that  make 
gram  into  flour  and  bread,  cotton  into  cloth,  iron  into  needles  or 
knives,  and  the  like.  These  indirect  producers  are  classed  as 
Manufacturers.  3.  The  third  class,  who  simply  use  these  things 
when  thus  produced  and  manufactured,  are  the  Consumers.  We 
come  now  to  the  fourth  class,  the  Merchants,  who  are  described 
by  Mr.  Parker,  as — 

"  Men  who  buy  and  sell ;  who  buy  to  sell,  and  sell  to  buy  the 
more.  They  fetch  and  carry  between  the  other  classes.  These 
are  Distributors  ;  they  are  the  MERCHANTS.  Under  this  name  I 
include  the  whole  class  who  live  by  buying  and  selling,  and  not 
merely  those  conventionally  called  Merchants  to  distinguish  them 


FOB   MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  149 


from  small  dealers.  This  term  comprises  traders  behind  counters 
and  traders  behind  desks  ;  traders  neither  behind  counters  nor 
desks. 

"There  are  various  grades  of  Merchants.  They  might  be 
classed  and  symbolized  according  as  they  use  a  Basket,  a  Wheel- 
barrow, a  Cart,  a  Stall,  a  Booth,  a  Shop,  a  Warehouse,  Count- 
ing-room, or  Bank.  Still  all  are  the  same  tiling — men  who  live 
by  buying  and  selling.  A  Ship  is  only  a  large  Basket,  a  Ware- 
house, a  costly  Stall.  Your  Pedler  Is  a  small  Merchant  going 
round  from  house  to  house  with  his  Basket,  to  mediate  between 
persons  ;  your  Merchant  only  a  great  Pedler  sending  round  from 
land  to  laud  with  his  Ships,  to  mediate  between  nations.  The 
Israelitish  woman  who  sits  behind  a  bench  in  her  stall  on  the 
Rialto  at  Venice,  changing  gold  into  silver  and  copper,  or  loan- 
ing money  to  him  who  leaves  hat,  coat,  and  other  collaterals  in 
pledge,  is  a  small  Banker.  The  Israelitish  man  who  sits  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Maine,  changes  drafts  into  specie,  and  lends 
millions  to  men  who  leave  in  pledge  a  mortgage  on  the  States  of 
the  Church,  Austria,  or  Russia,  is  a  Pawnbroker  and  Money- 
changer on  a  large  scale.  By  this  arithmetic,  for  present  con- 
venience, all  grades  of  Merchants  are  reduced  to  one  denomina- 
tion— men  who  live  by  buying  and  selling. 

"  All  these  four  classes  run  into  one  another.  The  same  man 
may  belong  to  all  at  the  same  tune.  All  are  needed.  At 
home,  a  Merchant  is  a  mediator  to  go  between  the  Producer 
and  the  Manufacturer — between  both  and  the  Consumer.  On  a 
large  scale,  he  is  the  mediator  who  goes  between  continents — 
between  producing  and  manufacturing  States — between  both 
and  consuming  countries.  The  calling  is  founded  in  the  state  of 
Society,  as  that  is  a  compromise  between  Man's  permanent 
nature  and  transient  condition.  So  long  as  there  are  Producers 


150  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


and  Consumers,  there  must  be  Distributors.  The  value  of  the 
calling  depends  on  its  importance  ;  its  usefulness  is  the  measure 
of  its  respectability.  The  most  useful  calling  must  be  the 
noblest.  If  it  is  difficult,  demanding  great  ability  and  self-sacri- 
fice, it  is  yet  more  noble.  A  useless  calling  is  disgraceful ;  one 
that  injures  mankind — infamous.  Tried  by  this  standard,  the 
Producers  seem  nobler  than  the  Distributors  ;  they  than  the 
mere  Consumers.  This  may  not  be  the  popular  judgment  now, 
but  must  one  day  become  so,  for  Mankind  is  slowly  learning  to 
judge  by  the  natural  Law  published  by  Jesus — that  he  who 
would  be  greatest  of  all,  must  be  most  effectively  the  Servant 
of  all. 

"  There  are  some  who  do  not  seem  to  belong  to  any  of  the 
active  classes,  who  are  yet  Producers,  Manufacturers,  and  Dis- 
tributors, by  their  Head  more  than  their  Hand  ;  men  who  have 
fertile  Heads  ;  Producers,  Manufacturers,  and  Distributors  of 
Thought ;  active  in  the  most  creative  way.  Here,  however,  the 
common  rule  is  inverted  :  the  Producers  are  few — men  of 
Genius  ;  the  Manufacturers  many — men  of  Talent ;  the  Distri- 
butors-^-men  of  Tact ;  men  who  remember,  and  talk  with 
tongue  or  pen.  Their  name  is  legion." 

87. 

THE  Scripture  speaketh  not  in  vain  in  saying,  that  "  the  love 
of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,"  for  there  is  not  an  evil  under 
the  sun,  to  the  commission  of  which  men  are  not  prompted  by 
the  love  of  money  ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  all  the  light  on 
this  subject  given  in  the  Scriptures,  and  confirmed  by  general 
experience,  men  everywhere  are  occupied  in  the  constant  and 
keen  pursuit  of  wealth,  and  the  prime  object  with  the  many  is  to 
obtain  it,  and  to  push  their  families  forward  in  the  unhappy  race 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  151 


of  avarice  and  aggrandizement.  For  money,  men  sacrifice 
domestic  comfort,  health,  character,  and  even  hazard  life  itself ; 
for  it  they  are  guilty  of  fraud,  deception,  and  robbery.  For 
money,  they  sacrifice  friendship,  gratitude,  natural  affection,  and 
every  holy  and  divine  feeling.  For  money,  man  becomes  a 
creeping,  crawling,  obsequious  creature,  instead  of  walking  erect 
as  the  offspring  of  man.  Mammon  and  Manhood  are  incompati- 
ble. Why  all  this  anxiety  about  money  ?  Why  this  constant  fever, 
this  pushing  and  driving  in  order  to  obtain  it  ?  Even  because 
men  form  a  false  estimate  of  Life  and  its  elements.  "  A  man's 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possess- 
eth."  He  who  would  live,  must  stir  up  the  divine  fire  that  is  in 
him,  to  consume  selfishness,  and  to  dispense  the  light  and  heat  to 
all  around.  Money  he  may  seek  in  moderation,  as  a  means,  not 
as  an  end  ;  and  in  order  to  preserve  his  manhood,  he  must  learn 
to  practise  self-denial  and  economy,  and  to  be  contented  with 
small  things  ;  above  all,  he  must  remember  that  God  has  set 
honor  upon  his  labor,  by  appointing  man  to  live  by  labor  ;  labor 
is  truly  honorable,  and  however  mean  the  occupation  may  be,  if 
honest,  it  is  never  disgraceful.  Instead,  therefore,  of  sinking 
Manhood  in  the  pursuit  of  Mammon,  by  creeping,  crawling,  and 
bending  to  every  one  whom  you  may  imagine  can  help  you  for- 
ward in  the  race  of  worldly  advancement,  stand  erect,  determine 
in  the  strength  of  God  to  be  a  MAN,  to  buy*  the  truth  at  what- 
ever cost,  and  never  sell  it  for  any  price ;  to  labor  at  any 
work,  if  needful,  to  speak  what  is  in  thy  heart,  and  never  to 
creep,  and  crawl,  and  mutter.  God  helps  those  who  help  them- 
selves. 

88. 

WEALTH  is  desirable,  if  honestly  acquired,  and  is  blessed  by 
contentment. 


152  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


89. 

IN  all  free  countries,  the  merchants  have  played  a  distinguished 
part.  In  old  Venice  they  were  already  dukes  and  princes  at  a 
period  when  the  nobility  of  other  lands  were  military  chieftains. 
Florence  owed  her  wealth  and  power  to  her  merchants.  It  was 
commerce  that  raised  Amsterdam  to  greatness.  The  merchants 
of  England  sit  in  her  House  of  Lords,  and  hold  the  destinies  of 
the  realm  in  their  potent  hands.  In  fact,  as  civilization  advances, 
commerce  asserts  her  rightful  claims  to  superior  consideration 
over  the  rude  and  often  unlettered  military  chieftain  ;  and  the 
men  who  develop  the  resources  of  a  nation,  and  increase  intelli- 
gence, as  well  as  add  to  its  physical  comforts,  are  deservedly 
ranked  highest  as  benefactors  of  mankind.  It  would  be  a  curious 
study  to  trace,  if  we  had  time,  the  struggle  in  England  between  the 
mercantile  interest  and  the  landed  aristocracy,  the  one  seeking 
to  obtain  its  due  weight  in  government,  the  other  laboring 
to  keep  down  its  aspiring  rival.  But  the  merchant,  in  the 
end,  conquered  the  feudal  baron.  And  had  it  not  been  for 
her  merchants,  England  would  long  since  have  succumbed  in 
one  or  another  of  her  foreign  wars.  But  for  their  gigantic 
resources,  freely  placed  at  the  service  of  the  State,  Napo- 
leon would  have  burnt  her  dock-yards  and  pulled  down  West- 
minster Hah1. 

The  character  of  the  true  merchant  deserves  all  of  this  eulogi- 
um.  But  in  speaking  of  the  merchant,  we  allude  to  the  liberal 
and  intelligent  commercial  man,  not  to  the  mean  and  narrow- 
minded.  A  merchant  of  enlarged  views,  like  the  late  Abbott 
Lawrence,  of  Boston,  has  no  superior  in  any  walk  of  life  ;  and 
there  are  men  of  the  same  stamp  in  other  cities,  though,  per- 
haps, it  would  be  indelicate  to  name  them  here.  Such  a  man, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  153 


especially  if  engaged  in  a  foreign  trade,  is  really  better  informed 
for  all  the  higher  purposes  of  legislation,  and  has  altogether  more 
comprehensive  views,  than  most  of  our  professed  statesmen.  His 
business  relations  force  him  to  keep  up  with  the  changes  in  other 
countries.  He  must  know  the  settled  and  unsettled  condition 
of  their  governments,  their  native  products  and  manufactures, 
the  habits  and  mode  of  life  of  the  people,  else  he  cannot  make 
shipments  with  any  prospect  of  success.  In  the  late  difficulty 
with  Brazil,  when  all  persons  begun  to  inquire  respecting  that 
empire — and  we  must  say  that  the  general  ignorance  regarding 
Brazil,  considering  its.iinmense  resources,  and  the  fact  that  it  is 
the  United  States  of  South  America,  is  very  reprehensible — the 
shipping  merchants  were  the  only  class  of  our  citizens  who  could 
furnish  any  correct  account  of  the  people  and  government  there. 
We  would  give  more  for  the  opinion  of  an  able  merchant  on  any 
affair  relating  to  our  foreign  relations,  than  for  that  of  all  the 
lawyers,  politicians,  and  professed  statesmen  we  have,  if  we 
except  one  or  two  illustrious  names. 

So  of  our  merchants  of  intelligence  engaged  in  the  Western 
trade.  They  do  not  confine  themselves  to  the  mere  acquisition 
of  a  fortune,  to  the  amassing  cent  per  cent,  bat  enlarge  their 
minds  by  a  knowledge  of  the  peculiarities  and  resources  of  the 
great  West.  Their  business  frequently  calling  them  abroad, 
they  have  opportunities  to  compare  the 'social  condition  of 
Europe  with  that  of  America,  the  relative  progress  of  inventions 
in  each,  the  spread  of  intelligence,  the  extension  of  liberal  prin- 
ciples, and  all  those  other  great  questions  in  which  every  generous 
and  observing  mind  may  be  presumed  to  take  an  interest.  Unfor- 
tunately, all  do  not  avail  themselves  of  these  advantages.  There 
are,  and  we  speak  it  with  regret,  merchants  who  neglect  those 
occasions  for  improving  the  mind  and  heart,  who  make  money 


154  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


their  god,  and  who  spend  a  long  life  with  every  energy  devoted 
solely  to  acquiring  that  gold  which  is  only  to  be  a  subject  of 
quarrel  among  their  descendants.  Such  persons  are  like  crazed 
wanderers,  passing  through  a  pleasant  country,  and  taking  no 
note  of  the  beautiful  scenery  around,  so  intensely  are  they 
absorbed  in  their  childish  and  foolish  thoughts  ;  or,  like  the  man 
in  the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  who  raked  among  dust  and  ashes  for 
dross,  while  an  angel  overhead  vainly  offered  him  a  golden 
crown.  For  nothing  is1  more  true,  than  that  an  undivided  atten- 
tion to  the  acquisition  of  wealth  stifles  our  social  sympathies, 
debases  the  intellect,  and  lays  up,  as  the  scriptures  solemnly 
express  it,  "much  store  of  sorrows"  for  after  days.  The  man 
who  makes  himself  a  slave  to  money,  wins  for  his  prize  the  Dead 
Sea  apple — "golden  without,  but  ashes  within." 

90. 

THERE  is  no  economy  like  that  which  saves  interest,  nor  loss 
like  that  which  pays  it  at  high  rates^  Let  a  man  owe  a  few 
thousand  dollars  at  interest  at  two  or  three  per  cent,  a  month, 
and  it  imperceptibly  uses  him  up.  He  labors  and  finds  the  load 
returning  with  increased  force.  It  almost  always  turns  out  with 
money  borrowers  much  worse  .than  they  expected.  The  reason 
is,  that  now,  things  are  so  managed  by  having  monthly  or  short 
payments  of  interest,  that  it  is  constantly  compounded.  Whether 
the  man  who  receives  it  compounds  it  or  not,  it  is  compounded 
to  the  borrower.  We  have  frequently  Watched  the  silent  crush- 
ing weight  of  this  invisible  compound.  What  is  building  up 
Wall  street,  New  York,  State  street,  Boston,  and  Third  street, 
Philadelphia,  with  the  massive  private  banking  houses  with  which 
all  those  streets  are  ornamented  ?  What  built  up  the  mighty 
fortune  of  the  Rothschilds,  and  all  the  other  great  bankers  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  155 


the  world?  Per  cent,  did  it.  The  insignificant,  as  it  looked, 
one  per  cent,,  or  half  per  cent,  exchange,  with  the  et  ceteras, 
like  clustering  drops,  fed  the  stream  which  poured  its  millions 
into  their  treasuries.  Per  cent,  is  the  controlling  business  of  the 
age,  and  if  allowed  to  creep  on  will  own  the  world.  Let  a  man 
worth  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  borrow  twenty-live  thousand 
at  three  per  cent,  per  month  for  two  years — we  have  heard  of 
even  worse  than  this — he  pays  the  interest  monthly,  and  thus  is 
deprived  of  the  use  of  the  money.  It  is  the  same  as  if  com- 
pounded, for  if  he  pays  two  per  cent,  the  interest  money  would 
be  worth  that  to  him,  too.  Then  at  the  end  of  two  years  he 
has  paid  out  in  usance  a  sum  about  equal  to  the  whole  capital 
borrowed.  What  business,  with  losses  incident  to  trade,  will 
bear  such  a  drain  ?  Such  a  thing  is  scarcely  possible.  Bank- 
ruptcy is  almost  its  inevitable  end.  The  same  is  true  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree  as  the  rate  may  be  higher  or  lower.  The  injunc- 
tion can  not  be  too  frequently  impressed  on  individuals  as  well  as 
on  cities  and  States,  to  avoid  debt  and  all  large  rates  of  interest. 
They  almost  invariably  end  in  ruin. 

91. 

Two  dry  goods  merchants,  one  in  Cedar  and  the  other  in 
Chatham  street,  both  of  whom  had  failed  some  six  or  eight  years 
since,  and  compromised  with  then*  creditors  for  about  fifty  or 
sixty  cents  to  the  dollar  ;  having  been  since  then  doing  a  success- 
ful business,  at  the  close  of  the  old  year  they  waited  on  their  old 
creditors,  unexpectedly  to  them,  with  checks  for  the  whole  defi- 
ciency, with  interest,  in  one  instance  ;  and  for  one-half  the  defi- 
ciency, with  interest,  in  the  other.  The  dry  goods  merchants, 
in  the  above  cases,  only  acted  in  accordance  with  the  principles 
of  true  moral  honesty. 


156  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


92. 

JOHN  GRIGG,  of  Philadelphia,  began  his  career  as  Bookseller 
and  Publisher  in  the  house  of  Benjamin  Warner,  which  was 
engaged  in  a  very  extensive  business. 

A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Grigg  in  the  "Merchant's 
Magazine"  gives  some  interesting  details  of  his  marked  life, 
and  furnishes  pertinent  commentary  and  illustration  for  our 
"  Maxims  and  Morals." 

"Mr.  Warner,"  says  his  biographer,  "seems  to  have  been  a 
man  of  quick  appreciation  of  character.  He  at  once  conceived 
a  high  opinion  of  Mr.  Grigg's  character  and  abilities.  Mr. 
Warner  was  a  Friend,  and  a  friend,  indeed,  in  every  sense,  he 
proved  to  his  young  clerk,  who  at  once  entered  his  house,  and 
justified  the  flattering  opinion  of  his  employer,  by  the  character- 
istic energy  and  clearness  of  head  which  he  brought  to  bear  upon 
his  new  pursuit.  Versatility  is  said  to  be  an  American  charac- 
teristic, and  few  men  have  possessed  it  more  strongly  than  Mr. 
Grigg.  The  readiness  of  adaptation  to  new  pursuits,  situations 
and  emergencies,  which  made  him  efficient  in  each  of  the  varied 
callings  with  which  within  a  few  years  he  had  already  made  him- 
self familiar,  marked  his  career  through  life.  It  was  his  favorite 
opinion  that  all  difficulties  can  be  overcome  by  perseverance — 
that  no  man  or  boy  can  tell  what  he  can  make  of  himself  until 
he  tries.  He  made  it  a  rule  of  life  when  difficulties  appeared,  to 
clap  on  double  energy,  and  like  Hercules,  to  rely  upon  the 
strength  of  his  own  shoulders  to  get  the  wagon  out  of  the 
ditch. 

He  had  need  of  all  his  own  resources  of  character  in  the  call- 
ing which  he  had  adopted.  But  it  was  the  last  change  of  pur- 
suit he  was  to  make.  He  had  found  a  business  whose  range  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  157 


operations  suited  his  abilities  and  ambition.  The  difficulties  of 
tne  bookselling  business  are  said  to  be  peculiarly  great.  This  is 
the  consenting  opinion  of  those  familiar  with  it ;  and  it  is 
obvious  how  much  tact  and  discrimination,  sagacity  and  careful 
study  of  the  public  taste,  it  requires.  So  connected  is  it  with 
Literature,  that  a  mistaken  literary  judgment  may  involve  the 
most  serious  business  consequences.  Dazzling  projects,  which 
on  paper  give  assurance  of  brilliant  results,  when  put  in  execu- 
tion prove  worse  than  failures.  It  was  not,  however,  until  a  few 
yean  later,  when  he  had  worked  his  way  up  to  the  higher  walks 
of  his  business,  that  these  qualities  were  called  out  into  most 
active  exercise.  But  the  same  energy  which  was  displayed  in 
the  more  responsible  station  to  winch  he  soon  attained  marked 
his  performance  of  the  humbler  duties  of  a  clerk.  This  devotion, 
this  determination  to  do  "  whatever  his  hands  found  to  do  "  "  with 
all  his  might,"  whether  as  clerk,  or  as  principal,  as  Banker,  Man- 
ufacturer, Clerk  of  Court,  or  Publisher,  is  the  secret  of  his  success 
— of  all  success  in  business.  The  late  William  Gray,  of  Boston, 
in  his  days  of  opulence,  was  tauntingly  reminded  that  he  had 
once  been  a  drummer.  His  quick  retort  contains  volumes  of  the 
practical  philosophy  taught  by  such  lives  as  his  and  Mr.  Grigg's. 
"  Didn't  I  drum  well,  though." 

Mr.  Grigg  has  always  been  remarkable  for  strength  of 
memory.  One  of  his  feats  at  this  time,  was  to  learn  the  name 
of  every  book  in  the  store,  its  price,  and  the  place  where  to  find 
it,  so  that  he  was  able,  at  once,  to  lay  his  hand  upon  it  when 
called  for.  It  was  thus  he  commenced  his  clerkship.  In  a  few 
days,  this  readiness  and  aptness  began  to  excite  the  jealousy  of 
an  older  clerk,  since  deceased,  who  was  nominally  above  the  last 
comer ;  and  his  own  emulation  was  chafed  at  a  superiority  in 
position  hi  the  establishment  of  those  who  were  inferior  to  him  in 


158  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


fact.  To  avoid  these  unpleasant  feelings,  Mr.  Warner  proposed 
a  Journey  to  Virginia,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  the  affairs  of  a 
firm  in  that  State,  with  which  his  house  was  connected,  and 
which  had  been  dissolved  by  the  death  of  one  of  the  partners. 
This  commission  Mr.  Grigg  gladly  undertook.  How  successfully 
he  performed  this  duty,  every  duty  belonging  to  the  new  calling 
which  was  to  be  the  business  of  his  life  is  best  shown  by  the 
testimony  left  by  Mr.  Warner,  on  his  death,  a  few  years  after. 
A  memorandum  was  found  attached  to  his  will,  which  contained 
a  legacy  more  valuable  than  gold,  a  legacy  of  golden  opi.nion. 
Taking  into  view  the  possibility  of  his  business  being  continued 
after  his  death,  he  thinks  "  one  or  two  young  men  in  whom  con- 
fidence can  be  reposed  "  might  be  found  to  take  charge  of  it,  and 
adds,  "  I  consider  John  Grigg  as  possessing  a  peculiar  talent  for 
the  bookselling  business.  Very  industrious,  and  from  three  years 
observation,  (the  tune  he  has  been  employed  in  my  business,)  I 
have  found  nothing  in  his  conduct  to  raise  a  doubt  in  my  mind 
of  his  possessing  correct  principles."  Praise  like  this  is  the 
noblest  of  rewards,  the  most  stirring  of  incentives. 

The  executors  of  Mr.  Warner  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
confide  to  one  in  whom  he  expressed  such  high  confidence,  and 
so  explicitly  pointed  out  as  his  successor,  the  settlement  of  the 
affairs  of  the  firm.  Nor  was  this  a  slight  undertaking.  The 
business  of  the  house  had  been  immense :  connected  with  it  were 
numerous  agencies  and  branches,  it  had  dealings  with  various 
houses  at  the  South  and  West,  and  the  settlement  of  it  rendered 
frequent  journeyings  necessary.  During  one  of  those  journeys, 
an  incident  occurred  which  is  too  characteristic  of  the  days  of 
stage-coach  traveling,  and  of  the  determined  energy  of  Mr. 
Grigg's  character  to  be  omitted.  He  was  at  Charleston.  It 
was  the  latter  part  of  December,  1825,  and  by  Christmas  day 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  159 


he  must  be  in  Philadelphia.  He  pushed  forward,  traveling  day 
and  night ;  at  Baltimore,  the  steamboat  which  usually  connected 
was  found  to  have  left  off  running,  and  the  travelers  were  forced 
to  take  to  the  mail-coach.  Bat  every  seat  was  full  when  Mr. 
Grigg  arrived  ;  there  was  no  alternative  for  the  determined  tra- 
veler, weary  and  excited  as  he  was  by  incessant  journeying  for 
seven  long  days  and  sleepless  nights,  but  to  ride  outside  with  the 
driver.  The  day,  or  rather  the  night,  was  cold,  the  air  was  full 
of  sleet,  the  road  miry.  But  to  the  driver's  seat  he  mounted 
and  pushed  on.  At  Havre  de  Grace  another  driver  took  the 
reins,  who  was  unacquainted  with  the  road  ;  it  was  long  after 
dark,  and  the  "insides,"  who  began  to  be  fearful  of  their  necks 
as  the  coach  plunged  and  tossed  in  the  mire,  grew  clamorous  for 
putting  back  until  morning.  But  Mr.  Grigg  was  determined 
that  the  stage  should  go  a-head  and  be  in  Philadelphia  by 
Christmas  day,  and  besides,  they  carried  the  mails,  and  a  public 
conveyance  must  not  be  delayed !  So  he  procured  a  lantern, 
and  going  before  the  coach,  piloted  the  travelers  through  the 
darkness  and  mire,  for  about  two  miles.  Finally  mounting  the 
box  again,  he  todk  the  reins  into  his  own  hands,  and  daylight 
saw  the  delighted  travelers,  arrived  at  Elkton,  and  well  on  their 
way.  They  at  once  admitted  him  to  a  seat  inside,  npon  their 
knees.  And  early  on  Christmas  morning  Mr.  Grigg  was  in 
Philadelphia. 

On  another  of  these  journeys  Mr.  Grigg  was  suddenly  taken 
very  sick  at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  He  was  staying  at  the 
house  of  a  friend,  on  his  way  home.  He  was  too  sick  to  stand, 
bnt  not,  as  he  thought,  or  was  determined  to  think,  too  sick  to 
travel.  His  will  was  stronger  than  disease,  and  no  dissuasion 
could  turn  him  from  his  fixed  purpose  of  going  forward.  So  he 
was  carried  from  the  house  to  the  stage-coach,  at  his  express 


160  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


request,  laid  on  the  bottom  of  the  coach,  and  in  this  rough  sort 
of  ambulance,  he  pushed'  on  to  Philadelphia  with  soldierly  forti- 
tude. There  is  something  too  much  like  rashness  in  such  zealous 
devotion  to  business,  to  make  it  altogether  a  safe  example  ;  but 
it  will  be  appreciated  by  every  merchant  whose  spirit  has  been 
vexed  and  patience  Wearied  by  the  delays,  the  loiterings  on  the 
road  for  which  their  traveling  agents  and  clerks  are  fond  of 
making  a  pretext  out  of  the  slightest  illness,  and  in  which  they 
are  oftentimes  ready  to  indulge,  without  the  decency  of  any  pre- 
text at  all. 

It  is  with  such  energy  that  Mr.  Grigg  has  performed  the  jour- 
ney of  life.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  a  statement  of  the  busi- 
ness of  the  firm,  as  conducted  by  him,  was  exhibited  to  H.  C. 
Carey,  Esq.,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the  parties  in  interest 
to  advise  with  the  executor.  Mr.  Carey,  whose  undoubted  abil- 
ity as  a  Political  Economist  is  combined  with  the  practical  ability 
of  the  business  man,  also,  on  examining  the  balance  exhibited  by 
the  statement,  expressed  the  unqualified  opinion  that  no  business 
had  ever  been  managed  with  more  tact  and  skill  than  this  com- 
plicated estate.  As  early  as  November,  1828,  Mr.  Grigg  suc- 
ceeded in  completely  settling  up  the  affairs  of  the  firm. 

He  was  now  once  more  without  fixed  occupation,  but  not,  as 
before,  without  means  ;  above  all,  not  without  experience,  which 
is  better  than  money.  He  had  not  only  saved  something,  but 
had  mastered  the  details  of  a  difficult  branch  of  business.  For 
an  insta.nt,  however,  Mr.  Grigg  seems  to  have  been  undetermined 
what  course  to  pursue.  Conversing  at  this  time  with  a  friend, 
Joseph  Gushing,  Esq.,  of  Baltimore,  he  explained  his  situation, 
and  laid  before  him  his  prospects.  "Rely  on  yourself,"  said  his 
friend,  "you  cannot  fail  to  succeed.  You  will  yet  astonish  your- 
self and  the  book  trade  of  the  whole  country."  The  next  day 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AKD    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  161 


Mr.  Grigg  hired  a  store,  with  lodging  apartments  back  of  it, 
and  commenced  the  business  of  book  selling  on  his  own  account. 

Thus  prudently  and  carefully  did  he  set  about  the  fulfillment 
of  this  prophesy.  How  brilliantly  it  has  been  verified,  the  entire 
book  trade  of  the  country  can  testify.  Upon  the  same  spot 
where  he  began,  Mr.  Grigg  conducted  his  business  with  ever 
increasing  success  and  widening  range  of  operations.  The 
genius  and  enterprise  of  its  head  pervaded  the  house,  and  all  its 
operations  were  conducted  with  that  unity  of  aim  and  effect, 
which  a  commanding  mind  knows  how  to  give  to  the  most  multi- 
farious details,  and  to  impress  upon  all  who  come  within  its 
range.  Nor  was  the  influence  of  this  almost  military  promptness 
and  efficiency  of  operation  confined  to  his  own  house.  Mr.  Grigg 
became  noted  among  his  brethren  for  his  peculiar  faculty.  A 
nervous  energy,  a  rapidity  of  calculation  and  resolution,  a 
promptness  to  act  marked  his  entire  course. 

He  possessed,  in  short,  a  kind  of  mercantile  intuition.  In  a  very 
recent  letter,  from  Lebanon,  Ohio,  where,  as  we  have  seen,  Mr. 
Grigg  passed  many  of  his  early  years,  another  of  the  friends  of 
his  youth,  whose  friendship,  like  Mr.  Corwin's,  has  been  life-long, 
presents,  in  a  very  striking  manner,  these  traits  of  his  character. 
"  He  comprehends  at  the  first  glance,"  writes  A.  H.  Dunlevy, 
Esq.,  of  Lebanon,  "  business  matters  in  all  their  bearings,  direct 
and  remote,  and  astonishes  you  with  the  quickness  with  which 
his  opinion  is  formed,  and  that,  not  to  be  changed.  The  judg- 
ment thus  formed  almost  always  proves  correct,"  and  he  is  thus 
enabled  to  "  dispose  of  his  affairs  as  they  come  up  without  their 
accumulating  on  his  hands,  and  by  this  means  has  been  able 
through  life  to  dispatch  a  greater  amount  of  business  than 
almost  any  other  man,  without  any  apparent  severe  labor. 
Another  prominent  trait  in  his  character  has  been  his  open  can- 


162  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


dor  and  unwavering  integrity.  He  was  ever  faithful  to  himself 
and  to  others  in  avowing  his  opinions  or  fears  in  relation  to  their 
business,  and  hence  he  made  fewer  bad  debts,  in  his  extended 
business  than  almost  any  one  else  in  like  circumstances." 

The  change  which  Mr.  Grigg  effected  in  the  book  trade  of 
the  country,  has  been  described  as  nothing  less  than  a  revolution. 
Constable,  the  famous  bookseller  of  Edinburgh,  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  publisher  and  partner,  was  fond  of  calling  himself  the 
"Napoleon  of  the  realms  of  print,"  a  compliment  to  himself 
hardly  justified,  except  by  the  boldness,  bordering  on  rashness, 
of  his  operations.  Mr.  Grigg's  friends  had  better  reason,  in 
many  respects,  for  bestowing,  as  they  were  sometimes  in  the 
habit  of  doing,  the  same  honor  upon  him,  for  to  boldness  and 
rapidity  he  united  cool  and  clear  judgment,  the  quick  eye  to  look 
Orhead  be/are  going  a-hcad. 

Through  the  financial  tempest  of  1836  and  1831,  Mr.  Grigg 
steered  his  course  safely  and  successfully,  and  although  engaged 
in  a  business  of  vast  extent  during  the  whole  perilous  financial 
period  from  1833  to  1840,  was  among  the  few,  who  suffered 
little  by  the  revulsions  of  the  times.  He  was  largely  interested 
in  stocks  and  other  species  of  property  most  liable  to  be  affected. 
But  he  saw  from  afar  the  dangers  which  were  threatening  the 
business  of  the  country,  and  his  quick  foresight  early  anticipated 
the  inevitable  issue  of  the  unequal  contest  between  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  United  States  Bank.  He  promptly  took  measures 
to  change  his  investments  from  stock  to  real  estate,  and  became 
the  owner  of  large  properties  in  Mississippi  and  Illinois,  us  well 
as  in  Philadelphia.  When  the  shock  of  the  crisis  came,  his  foot 
was  on  the  ground,  and,  he  stood  firm. 

Mr.  Grigg  has  not,  we  thus  see,  entirely  confined  himself  to 
the  line  of  his  peculiar  business.  Men  of  wealth  never  show  a 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OP   BUSINESS.  163 


truer  public  spirit,  than  when  they  step  forward  to  aid  with 
baud  and  purse  a  great  public  enterprise  in  its  infancy.  Public 
works  are,  for  the  most  part,  anything  but  attractive  invest- 
ments, at  the  outset,  and  it  is  oftener  a  case  of  self-sacrifice  than 
of  self-interest  to  invest  money  in  new  projects  of  this  kind.  Mr. 
Grigg  was  an  early  and  prompt  friend  and  large  subscriber  to 
the  stock  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  a  work  of  the  same 
interest  and  importance  to  Pennsylvania,  as  the  Erie  Railroad  is 
to  the  State  of  New  York,  and  the  national  value  of  all  these 
great  works  connecting  the  sea-board  with  the  West,  need  not 
to  be  enlarged  upon.  We  have  already  referred  to  the  circum- 
stances under  which  Mr.  Grigg  was  induced  to  invest  largely  in 
real  estate.  Philadelphia  is  indebted  to  him  for  numerous  ele- 
gant dwellings  which  adorn  her  beautiful  streets.  Besides  the 
real  estate  investments  in  Mississippi,  in  1836,  he  entered  exten- 
sive tracts  of  the  public  lands  in  the  Sangaraon  country,  Illinois, 
of  which  he  has  from  time  to  time  sold  large  portions.  In  his 
dealings  with  the  numerous  purchasers  of  his  land,  Mr.  Grigg's 
uniform  fairness  and  liberality  have  made  him  universally  popu- 
lar, an  exception  to  the  general  rule  as  to  non-resident  land;own- 
ers,  who  are  by  no  means  favorites  at  the  West. 

93. 

PROPERTY  purchased  on  credit  is  a  deposit  place  in  your  hands, 
which  it  would  be  fraudulent  for  you  to  use  in  any  manner  so  as 
to  endanger  the  interests  of  your  creditors.  Flattering  prospects 
of  gain  iu  this  way  sometimes  occur  ;  but  they  too  often  prove 
delusive,  and  leave  the  rash  adventurer  under  an  insupportable 
load  of  responsibility.  Debts  are  sacred,  and  every  honest  man 
will  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to  discharge  his  obligations, 
with  punctuality  and  honor. 


164  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


94. 

'  THE  following  eloquent  passage  is  from  a  speech  of  the  Hon. 
Reverdy  Johnson,  of  Maryland,  at  the  complimentary  dinner 
given  in  1847,  to  the  Hon.  Mr.  King,  of  Georgia,  by  the  New 
York  merchants. 

"  Commerce,  in  every  age  of  the  world,  has  been  the  chief 
pioneer  in  the  march  of  man's  civilization.  Unlike  the  achieve- 
ments of  war,  the  track  of  commerce  is  ever  to  be  traced  by 
the  blessings  which  follow  its  footsteps.  It  travels  over  no 
blood-stained  fields  to  secure  its  noble  ends  ;  it  brings  man  not 
into  deadly  strife  with  man,  but  into  friendly  and  harmonious 
association.  Its  conquests  are  not  heralded  by  tidings  of  fierce, 
and  deadly,  and  demoniac  conflict ;  no  blood  stains  its  triumphs; 
no  human  agony  has  it  to  answer  for.  It  works  by  far  different 
and  immeasurably  better  means.  It  removes  local  prejudices — 
breaks  down  national  antipathies — and  binds  the  whole  family 
of  man  together  by  the  strong  ties  of  association,  and  of  mu- 
tual and  dependent  interests. 

"  In  all  the  elements,  then,  of  true  greatness,  how  inexpres- 
sibly superior  are  the  peaceful  and  social  influences  of  commerce 
to  all  "that  is  generally  accomplished  by  the  pride,  pomp  and 
circumstances  of  war.  The  one  showers  upon  the  world  wealth 
and  felicity — humanizes  and  civilizes  man ;  the  other  riots  in 
blood,  misery  and  desolation.  War  is,  to  be  sure,  at  tunes 
inevitable  ;  but  man's  wickedness  makes  it  so.  There  have 
been  occasions,  and  may  be  again,  when  it  becomes  a  virtue. 
A  nation's  freedom  is  sometimes  only  to  be  secured  by  it.  Our 
own  history  furnishes  a  noble  and  glorious  example  of  this.  We 
had  a  warrior,  chosen  by  Heaven,  to  fight  for  and  to  win  our 
freedom ;  and  in  doing  so,  he  won  for  himself  an  immortality 
of  fame.  The  name  of  Washington  will  continue  to  live,  as 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  165 


long  as  there  remains  upon  earth  a  vestige  of  virtue  and  knowl- 
edge. But  such  struggles  are  of  rare  occurrence  ;  and,  for  the 
most  part,  how  limited  is  the  number  of  those  whom  war  has 
rendered  immortal ! 

"  Of  all  the  bones  have  whitened  battle  fields, 
How  very  few  live  in  the  chronicle  ?" 


A  MERCHANT  should  be  an  honorable  man.  Although  a  man 
cannot  be  an  honorable  man  without  being  an  honest  man,  yet  a 
man  may  be  strictly  honest  without  being  honorable.  Honesty 
refers  to  pecuniary  affairs ;  honor  refers  to  the  principles  and 
feelings.  You  may  pay  your  debts  punctually,  you  may  defraud 
no  man,  and  yet  you  may  act  dishonorably.  You  act  dishonor- 
ably when  you  give  your  correspondents  a  worse  opinion  of  your 
rivals  in  trade  than  you  know  they  deserve.  You  act  dishon- 
orably when  you  sell  your  commodities  at  less  than  their  real 
value,  in  order  to  get  away  your  neighbor's  customers.  You 
act  dishonorably  when  you  purchase  at  higher  than  the  market 
price,  in  order  that  you  may  raise  the  market  upon  another 
buyer.  You  act  dishonorably  when  you  draw  accommodation 
bills,  and  pass  them  to  your  banker  for  discount,  as  if  they  arose 
out  of  real  transactions.  You  act  dishonorably  in  every  case 
wherein  your  external  conduct  is  at  variance  with  your  real 
opinions.  You  act  dishonorably  if,  when  carrying  on  a  prosper- 
ous trade,  you  do  not  allow  your  servants  and  assistants,  through 
whose  exertions  you  obtain  your  success,  to  participate  in  your 
prosperity.  You  act  dishonorably  if,  after  you  have  become 
rich,  you  are  unmindful  of  the  favors  you  received  when  poor. 
In  aU  these  cases  there  may  be  no  intentional  fraud.  It  may 
not  be  dishonest,  but  it  is  dishonorable  conduct. 


166  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


96. 

OUR  views  have  become  so  completely  identified  with  the  com- 
mercial matters  of  the  age,  that  on  taking  up  a  new  book,  espe- 
cially of  travels,  we  run  our  eye  over  its  pages  to  see  if  we  can 
find  anything  that  will  be  likely  to  interest  the  mercantile  reader  ; 
and  onr  estimate  of  the  value  of  a  work  is  apt  to  depend  very 
much  upon  the  information  it  contains  pertaining  to  subjects 
connected  with  trade  and  commerce.  Running  over  the 
pages  of  Mrs.  Butler's  (formerly  Fanny  Kemble)  "  Year  of 
Consolation,"  published  in  1847,  we  find  a  few  passages  of  her 
experience  of  the  morality  of  shopkeeping,  &c.,  in  Rome. 
Mrs.  B.  says  : — 

"  English  people  are  the  only  honest  trades-people  that  I  am 
acquainted  with,  and  I  say  it  advisedly  ;  for  Americans  are  un- 
punctual,  and  an  appointment  is  a  contract  with  tune  for  its  object, 
and  they  are  as  regardless  for  the  most  part,  of  that  species  of 
contract,  as  of  some  others  of  a  different  kind.  I  have  now  been 
six  months  in  Rome,  and  have  had  leisure  and  opportunity 
to  see  something  of  the  morals  of  retail  trade  ;  at  any  rate,  in 
matters  of  female  traffic,  among  the  shopkeepers  here.  In  the 
first  place,  the  most  flagrant  dishonesty  exists  with  regard  to  the 
value  of  the  merchandise,  and  the  prices  they  ask  for  it  of  all 
strangers,  but  more  particularly  of  the  English,  whose  wealth, 
ignorance,  and  insolence,  are  taxed  by  these  worthy  industrials 
without  conscience  or  compassion.  Every  article  purchased  in  a 
Roman  shop,  by  an  English  person,  is  rated  at  very  nearly 
double  its  value  ;  and  the  universal  custom  here,  even  among  the 
people  themselves,  is  to  carry  on  a  haggling  market  of  aggres- 
sion, on  the  part  of  the  purchaser,  and  defense,  on  that  of  the 
vender,  which  is  often  as  comical  as  it  is  disgusting.  In  Nata- 
letti's  shop,  in  Rome,  the  other  day,  I  saw  a  scene  between  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  16T 


salesman  and  a  lady-purchaser,  an  Italian,  that  would  have 
amazed  as  well  as  amused  the  parties  behind  and  before  the 
counters  of  Howell  &  James,  Hoarding's,  etc.  The  lady,  after 
choosing  her  stuff  and  the  quantity  she  required,  began  a  regular 
attack  upon  the  shopman  ;  it  was  mezza  vcce,  indeed,  but  contin- 
uous, eager,  vehement,  pressing,  overpowering,  to  a  degree  inde- 
scribable ;  and  the  luckless  man  having  come  for  a  moment  from 
behind  the  shelter  of  his  long  table,  the  lady  eagerly  seized  him 
by  the  arm,  and  holding  him  fast,  argued  her  point  with  increas- 
ing warmth.  She  next  caught  hold  of  the  breast  of  his  coat, 
her  face  within  a  few  inches  of  his,  her  husband  meanwhile 
standing  by  and  smiling  approvingly  at  the  thrift  and  eloquence 
of  his  wife  ;  I  think,  however,  she  did  not  succeed.  The  shop- 
man looked  disgusted,  which  I  am  afraid  is  a  consequence  of 
their  having  adopted  the  English  mode  of  dealing  in  that  house, 
as  they  themselves  informed  me,  to  signify  that  they  did  not 
cheat,  lie,  or  steal,  but  dealt  like  honest  people.  I  felt  proud  of 
his  manner  of  speech  :  '  Madame,  nous  avons  adopte  la  maniere 
Anglaise  ;  nous  vendons  au  prix  juste,  nous  ne  surfaisons  pas,  et 
nous  ne  changeons  pas  nos  prix,'  so  that  to  deal  in  the  English 
fashion  is  synonymous  to  dealing  justly.  It  pleases  me  greatly, 
and  it  is  true  ;  for,  in  France,  too,  they  have  abandoned  the 
abominable  system  of  prices  for  the  English  ;  and  it  delights  me 
to  think  that  integrity,  justice,  truth,  cleanliness,  and  comfort, 
follow  in  the  footsteps  of  my  own  people  wherever  their  wander- 
ing spirit  leads  them  through  the  world.  It  is  very  fit  and  just 
that  they  should  bring  such  compensations  to  the  foreign  people, 
among  whom  they  so  often  introduce,  also,  habits  of  luxury,  of 
ostentation,  and  that  basest  habit  of  bartering  for  money  the 
common  courtesies  and  amenities  of  life,  the  civilities  and  the 
serviceableness  which  are  priceless,  which  the  continental  people 


168  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


have,  and  our  own  have  not,  and  which  we  should  have  learnt 
to  imitate  rather  than  taught  them  to  sell.  I  may  as  well  men- 
tion here,  that  I  have  found  Nataletti's  shop  the  best  in  Rome, 
in  every  respect.  In  one  morning's  shopping,  the  other  day,  we 
had  two  or  three  curious  instances  of  the  shopkeeping  morality 
here :  going  into  Gagiati's,  in  the  Corso,  the  great  omnium 
gatherum,  or,  as  the  Americans  would  call  it,  variety  store,  they 
first  attempted  to  cheat  my  sister  upon  the  change  due  to  her 
for  some  gold  she  gave  them  ;  I  was  looking  at  some  fans  which 
were  being  shown  to  an  Italian  purchaser  at  the  same  tune  ;  I 
had  taken  up  one,  which  the  shopman  told  me  was  worth  eight- 
een scudi ;  the  Roman  buyer  took  up  another,  which  had  been 
shown  me  at  the  same  price,  and  with  sundry  '  nods  and  becks 
and  wreathed  smiles '  at  the  shopkeeper,  said,  in  an  under  tone, 
'  Dunque  quindici  ? '  the  latter  nodded,  returned  the  significant 
pantomime,  and  adding,  '  Eh  !  capite.'  I  capited  too,  and,  per- 
ceiving that  I  was  attentively  observing  what  was  going  on,  the 
salesman  took  the  fan  I  had  hi  my  hand,  and  without  uttering  a 
syUable,  said,  '  Ebbene,  Signora,  seidici  scudi ;'  '  but/  said  I,  '  a 
moment  ago,  you  told  me  the  price  was  eighteen.'  '  Oh  !' 
exclaimed  he,  with  the  most  dauntless  impudence,  '  se  piace  a  lei 
di  pagar  died  otto  va  bene  e  padrona.'  I  was  so  utterly  dis- 
gusted, that  I  laid  the  commodity  down  without  another  word. 
Further  on,  we  bought  some  tin  pails  and  water-buckets  for  our 
bed-rooms  in  the  country.  At  one  shop,  I  was  made  to  pay 
nearly  three  scudi  for  that  which  my  sister  purchased  immediately 
after  for  a  scudo  and  a  half  a  little  distance  further  on,  and  she 
no  doubt  paid,  as  an  Englishwoman,  much  more  than  the  goods 
were  worth.  We  then  proceeded  to  a  perfumer's  for  some  hah-  po- 
matum— we  had  already  repeatedly  purchased  the  same  thing 
at  the  same  place.  On  this  occasion,  however,  we  were  charged 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  169 


an  additional  paul  upon  each  small  article,  and  upon  remonstrat- 
ing, and  stating  that  we  had  repeatedly  bought  the  same  thing 
at  the  same  place,  and  always  paid  such  a  sum  for  it,  the'shop- 
man  replied,  '  Yes,  that  was  true,  but  now  they  had  altered  the 
price  ;'  a  sort  of  ad  libitum  mode  of  dealing,  which  may  be  plea- 
sant and  mournful  to  the  souls  of  the  venders,  but  is  mournful 
alone  to  those  who  buy.  Of  truth,  and  its  inviolable  sacredness, 
the  Italians  generally  seem  to  have  as  little  perception  as  the 
French  ;  and  dishonesty  and  falsehood  are  so  little  matters  of 
shame,  that  detection  in  either  of  them  only  excites  a  shrug  and 
a  grin  on  the  part  of  the  offender." 

97. 

DURING  the  "panic"  in  the  money  market  some  few  years 
ago,  a  meeting  of  merchants  was  held  in  the  Exchange,  to 
devise  ways  and  means  to  extricate  themselves  from  their  pecu- 
niary difficulties.  The  great  hall  was  crowded,  addresses  were 
made,  resolutions  passed,  committees  appointed,  and  everything 
done  that  is  usual  and  necessary.  After  all  this,  one  of  the 
company  moved  that  the  meeting  stand  adjourned  until  some 
future  day,  when  up  jumped  a  little  jobber,  in  a  great  state  of 
excitement,  and  requested  the  merchants  to  linger  a  moment,  as 
he  had  something  of  the  greatest  importance  to  communicate. 
The  jobber  was  known  to  be  a  very  diffident  person  ;  and,  as  he 
never  ventured  on  the  responsibilities  of  speaking  on  any  former 
public  occasion,  all  were  anxious  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say. — 
"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  with  evident  emotion,  and  in  the  most 
emphatic,  feeling  and  eloquent  manner,  "what's  the  use  of  talk- 
ing of  some  future,  day  ?  We  want  relief,  I  tell  you  1 — immediate 
relief !"  and  down  he  sat  amidst  a  universal  roar  of  laughter. 
The  next  day  he  failed ! 


170  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


SEE  now  ascending,  amid  the  overwhelming  plaudits  of  the 
andience  and  the  orchestra,  a  young  man  of  pale  and  interest- 
ing countenance,  with  an  immense  profusion  of  uncombed  black 
hair,  lending  romantic  disorder  to  an  appearance  in  every  way 
peculiar.  This  is  young  Lostiswitz,  and  he  turns  towards  the 
immense  assemblage  which  greets  him,  while  he  gracefully  en- 
deavors to  remove  the  hair  out  of  his  eyes  in  order  to  survey 
them.  Still  he  ascends  and  they  applaud,  and  still  he  labors 
to  behold  them  through  the  struggling  curtain  of  dark  hair 
maze.  But  at  length  he  has  reached  the  rostrum  of  the  con- 
ductor. All  is  at  once  as  still  as  death.  On  him,  the  hero 
of  that  evening,  every  eye  is  bent.  Many  already  have  poured 
forth  the  soul  tribute  of  tears.  His  modest  demeanor  wins  all 
hearts.  And  now  he  waves  his  baton,  and  the  breathless  silence 
is  broken  by  the  first  stroke  of  the  orchestra,  (the  chord  of 
the  1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0,)  struck  by  the  whole  band  staccatissimo 
Fiff,  with  the  unity  of  a  single  gun. 

A  pause  ensues.  Then  there  begins  a  plaintiff,  warbling 
strain  on  the  oboe,  accompanied  by  the  ophicleides  and  one 
gong.  This  marks  the  first  entrance  of  the  boy-man  into  mer- 
cantile life.  The  lingering  remembrances  of  his  boyish  sports 
and  pleasures  (graphically  depicted  by  the  touching  accents  of 
the  oboe  in  E  major)  are  brought  effectively  into  contrast  with 
the  rough  rebukes  and  reproaches  of  the  senior  clerk,  conveyed 
by  the  bassos  in  C  minor.  Want  of  punctuality  and  inaccuracy 
in  the  details  of  business  are  now  sharply  urged  against  him  by 
the  violins,  in  staccato  passages  contretemps.  He  submits  with 
becoming  modesty  to  this  censure,  in  a  holding  note  on  the 
second  bassoon.  But  his  mind  presently  rallies  ;  he  girds  him- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  171 


self  np  for  his  daily  task ;  he  is  sensible  of  a  divine  energy ; 
and  now  a  strict  fugue  is  led  off  by  the  tenors,  and  grows  upon 
the  ear  through  all  the  forms  of  harmonic  proportion,  self-evolv- 
ing, infinite,  yet  regular.  This  proclaims  new  habits  of  busi- 
ness, exactness  hi  accounts,  well-kept  books,  and  general  exem- 
plary conduct.  Years  roll  on,  accompanied  by  the  violoncello  ; 
the  youth  wins  the  approbation  of  his  superiors — the  man  is 
a  partner  in  the  firm !  Vainly,  my  dear  friend,  should  I  en- 
deavor to  convey  to  you  the  least  adequate  conception  of  the 
exquisite  and  finely-preserved  graduations  by  which  the  picture 
poem,  sculpture  music  expresses  to  the  sense  of  the  spectator, 
auditor,  crescendo  poco  a  poco,  the  commercial  progress  of  its 
youthful  hero.  With  this  noble  climax  the  first  movement 
concludes. 

After  a  short  pause,  needed  alike  by  the  audience  and  the 
performers  to  recruit  their  spirits,  exhausted  by  excitement,  a 
grateful  Pastorale  movement  commenced,  indicating  that  degree 
of  comfortable  independence  and  rural  excitement  which  are  the 
fruits  of  well-regulated  industry,  when  the  tune-earned  bless- 
ings of  competence  have  placed  within  reach  of  the  successful 
partner  a  small  house  and  grounds  in  the  suburbs,  unfurnished, 
with  other  conveniences.  Every  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  after 
a  moderate,  but  excellent  breakfast,  we  see  him  driving  into 
town  hi  G  major,  allegro  two  fours.  Every  evening  at  five  we 
see  hun  returning  to  dinner  on  the  dominant. 

I  observed  more  than  one  commercial  man  in  the  room,  who 
had  passed  through  all  the  usual  stages  of  mercantile  life,  yield- 
ing himself  up  to  the  delusion  of  the  moment,  and  reveling  in 
associations  rekindled  among  the  embers  of  existence  by  the 
spell  of  the  spirit  ruler.  Every  mind  was  conscious  of  a  secret 
regret  when  the  last  note  of  this  movement  expired.  It  was  to 


172  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


them  as  the  going  down  of  an  autumnal  sun — bright,  but  pro- 
phetic of  no  genial  return. 

Now  followed  an  adagio  no  poco  prestissimo,  piano  quasi  forte, 
scnza  tempo, — by  far  the  most  sui-general  and  future-age-antici- 
pating portion  of  this  divine  work.  Lostiswitz  has  here  dis- 
played that  deep  insight  into  the  principles  of  instrumentation 
which  gives  him  the  extraordinary  superiority  he  at  present 
enjoys  over  contemporary  composers  as  a  combinationist. 

This  movement  commences  with  a  trio  for  two  serpents  and 
an  octave  flute,  indicative  of  extensive  commercial  embarrass- 
ment, and  so  skilfully  has  the  composer  applied  the  resources 
of  his  genius  to  the  subject  before  him,  that,  with  this  simple 
machinery,  the  whole  process  of  what  appears  a  complicated 
bankruptcy  is  brought  before  the  mind  with  startling  reality, 
insomuch,  that  it  may  be  doubted  if  hi  a  country  like  England, 
this  portion  of  the  symphony  would  not  require  considerable 
modification,  hi  the  event  of  its  performance  there.  The  failure 
of  correspondents,  the  blockade  of  the  Mexican  ports,  rumors 
of  the  plague  at  Alexandria,  the  consternation  of  clerks  and 
accountants,  the  presentation  of  bills  for  payment,  the  impetra- 
tion  of  renewal,  the  galling  insolence  of  minacious  creditors, — 
all  these  things  told,  and  were  told  with  such  effect  that  a  pow- 
erful sensation  of  alarm  pervaded  the  whole  house,  in  the  midst 

of  which  Herr  ,  of  the  firm  of  &  Co.,  was  carried 

out  in  a  state  of  suspended  animation.  At  length  a  calm  en- 
sues ;  the  assets  are  found  sufficient  to  prevent  injury  to  credits, 
confidence  revives,  orders  pour  in,  and  ah1  again  is  harmony  and 
prosperity.  Then  comes  the  grand  finale. 

A  brisk  Allegro  in  triple  time  denotes  the  accumulation  of 
money  in  the  three  per  cents  ;  but  this  movement  gradually 
assumes  a  statelier  style  and  loftier  measure,  as  honors  succeed 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  113 


to  riches  ;  and  at  length,  the  freedom  of  the  city  haying  been 
presented  in  a  complimentary  Andante  of  four  horns,  not  with- 
out a  neat  and  appropriate  reply  from  the  double  bass,  and  a 
prince  of  the  blood  royal  having  proposed  for  the  sixth  daughter 
in  a  subsequent  bar,  the  whole  of  this  prodigious  work  is  brought 
to  an  end  on  a  sustained  dominant,  equally  remarkable  for  the 
novelty  of  its  sequences  and  the  perfect  propriety  of  its  matri- 
monial arrangments. 

99. 

"  A  VERY  elegant  tea-service,  of  rich  plate,  was  presented,  on 
New  Year's  day,  in  1840,  with  appropriate  ceremony,  to  a  mer- 
chant in  New  York,  who  had  been  unfortunate  in  business  ;  but, 
on  his  return  to  prosperity,  paid  off  his  creditors,  principal  and 
interest.  The  inscription  on  the  tea-urn,  as  follows,  records  the 
honorable  testimony  : — 

"  Presented  to  WILSON  G.  HUNT,  by  John  Haggerty,  William 
Adee,  and  Joseph  Corlies,  in  behalf  of  themselves  and  his  other 
creditors  ;  who,  in  the  year  1832,  (satisfied  that  his  insolvency 
was  occasioned  by  misfortunes  in  trade,)  accepted  a  compromise 
of  their  claims,  and  gave  him  a  complete  release  from  all  legal 
liability  ;  as  a  testimonial  of  their  high  respect  for  his  just  sense 
of  the  moral  obligation  of  contracts,  as  evinced  by  the  payment, 
in  the  year  1839,  of  the  balance  of  their  respective  claims,  prin- 
cipal and  interest ;  an  act  reflecting  honor  oa  himself  as  a  mer- 
chant, and  proving  him  one  of  the  noblest  of  the  Creator's  works 
— an  honest  man." 

What  honest  man  would  not  prefer  the  "  tea-service,"  with  its 
honest  inscription,  to  the  gains  of  trade  "kept  back"  from  the 
creditors,  although  the  debtor  was  released  from  the  legal  dis- 
charge of  his  indebtedness  ? 


It4  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLAlttES 


100. 

WE  find  the  following  interesting  account  of  the  mode  of  con- 
ducting business  arrangements  in  a  dry-goods  store  in  Philadel- 
phia, in  the  columns  of  a  Southern  Journal.  Precision  in  such 
matters  begets  thrift  and  prosperity,  and  we  hope  the  precepts 
of  the  annexed  article  may  be  universally  carried  out  in  business 
communities  : — 

The  amount  of  sales  made  at  this  store,  is  about  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  annually  ;  each  department  in  the  store  is  alpha- 
betically designated.  The  shelves  and  rows  of  goods  in  each 
department  are  numbered,  and  upon  the  tag  attached  to  the  goods, 
is  marked  the  letter  of  the  department,  the  number  of  the  shelf 
and  row  on  that  shelf  to  which  such  piece  of  goods  belongs.  The 
cashier  receives  a  certain  sum  extra  per  week,  and  he  is  responsi- 
ble for  all  worthless  money  received.  Books  are  kept,  in  which  the 
sales  of  each  clerk  are  entered  for  the  day,  and  the  salary  of  the 
clerk  cast,  as  a  per  centage  on  each  day,  week  and  year,  and,  at 
the  foot  of  the  page,  the  aggregate  of  the  sales  appears,  and  the 
per  centage  that  it  has  cost  to  effect  these  sales,  is  easily  calcu- 
lated for  each  day,  month  or  year.  The  counters  are  designated 
by  an  imaginary  color,  as  the  blue,  green,  brown,  etc.,  counter. 
The  yard-sticks  and  counter-brush  belonging  to  it,  are  painted  to 
correspond  with  the  imaginary  color  of  the  counter ;  so,  by  a 
very  simple  arrangement,  each  of  these  necessaries  is  kept  where 
it  belongs ;  and  should  any  be  missing,  the  faulty  clerks  are 
easily  known. 

Ah1  wrapping  paper  coming  into  the  store  is  immediately 
taken  to  a  counter  in  the  basement,  where  a  lad  attends  with  a 
pah*  of  shears,  whose  duty  it  is  to  cut  the  paper  into  pieces  to 
correspond  with  the  size  of  the  parcels  sold  at  the  different 


FOR   HERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  175 


departments,  to  which  he  sees  that  it  is  transferred.  All  pieces 
too  small  for  this,  even  to  the  smallest  scraps,  are  by  him  put 
into  a  sack,  and  what  is  usually  thrown  away  by  our  merchants, 
yields  to  this  systematic  man  some  twenty  dollars  per  year.  In 
one  part  of  the  establishment  is  a  tool-closet,  with  a  work-bench 
attached  ;  the  closet  occupies  but  little  space,  yet  hi  it  we  notice 
almost  every  useful  tool,  and  this  is  arranged  with  the  hand-saw 
to  form  the  center,  and  the  smaller  tools  radiating1  from  it  in  sun 
form  ;  behind  each  article  is  painted,  with  black  paint,  the  shape 
of  the  tool  belonging  hi  that  place. 

It  is,  consequently,  impossible  that  anything  should  be  out  of 
place  except  through  design  ;  and  if  any  tool  is  missing,  the  wall 
will  show  the  shadow  without  the  substance.  Such  is  the  salu- 
tary influence  exerted  by  order,  that  those  who  enter  this  employ 
habitually  careless  and  reckless,  are  reformed  entirely  ;  and  sys- 
tem, which  before  was  irksome,  has  become  to  them  a  second 
nature.  The  proprietor's  desk  stands  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
store,  raised  on  a  platform  facing  the  front,  from  which  he  can 
see  ah1  the  operations  in  each  section  of  the  retail  department. 
From  this  desk  run  tubes,  connecting  with  each  department  of 
the  store,  from  the  garret  to  the  cellar,  so  that  if  a  person  hi 
any  department,  either  porter,  retail  or  wholesale  clerk,  wishes 
to  communicate  with  the  employer,  he  can  do  so  without  leaving 
his  station.  Pages  are  kept  hi  each  department  to  take  the  bill 
of  parcels,  together  with  the  money  paid ;  and  return  the  bill 
receipted,  and  change,  if  any,  to  the  customer.  So  that  the 
salesman  is  never  obliged  to  leave  the  counter  ;  he  is  at  all  times 
ready  either  to  introduce  a  new  article,  or  watch  that  no  goods 
are  taken  from  his  counter,  excepting  those  accounted  for. 

His  peculiar  method  of  casting  the  per  centage  of  a  clerk's 
salary  on  his  sales,  enables  him  at  all  tunes,  (coupling  it  with 


176  MAXIMS,    MORALS  AND   MISCELLANIES 


the  clerk's  general  conduct,  and  the  style  of  goods  he  is  selling, ) 
to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  relative  value  of  the  services  of 
each,  in  proportion  to  his  salary.  By  the  alphabetic  arrange- 
ment of  departments,  numbering  of  shelves,  and  form  of  the 
tools,  any  clerk,  no  matter  if  he  has  not  been  hi  the  store  more 
than  an  hour,  can  arrange  every  article  in  its  proper  place,  and 
at  any  time,  if  inquired  of  respecting  them,  or  referred  to  by  any 
clerk,  the  proprietor  is  able  to  speak  understandingly  of  the 
capabilities  and  business  qualities  of  any  of  his  employees.  He 
has  brought  up  some  of  the  best  merchants  at  present  engaged 
in  the  trade,  who  do  honor  to  the  profession  as  well  as  their 
tutor. 

101. 

What  caused  his  failure  ?  THIS  is  the  first  interrogatory  pro- 
pounded by  both  friend  and  creditor,  when  the  Insolvent's  misfor- 
tune becomes  noised  abroad. — The  answer  given  to  this  one  ques- 
tion, by  a  warm  hearted  friend  may  be  as  different  from  the  one 
given  by  a  suffering  creditor  as  light  is  from  darkness.  But  the 
answer  of  neither  friend  nor  creditor  may  explain  the  cause — the 
cause  must  be  explained  by  one  who  has  neither  friendship  to  bias 
nor  loss  to  influence  his  opinion.  Then,  what  is  the  cause  of  his 
failure  ?  or  rather,  why  did  he  fail  ?  That  which  has  been  the 
cause  of  the  failure  of  the  man  or  firm  now  in  the  mind's  eye,  has 
been  the  cause  of  the  failure  of  nine-tenths  of  the  Insolvents  in 
every  Commercial  City  in  the  world.  The  cause  may  be  succintly 
stated  by  the  employment  of  a  commercial  phrase  ;  he  did  not 
"post  up"  himself,  in  the  matters  and  details  of  his  business,  as 
a  good  Accountant  would  Journalize  and  Post  the  transactions 
of  the  firm. 

A  good  Accountant  can  turn  to  his  Ledger  and  inform  him. 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  177 


self>  or  employer,  of  the  amount  of  stock  on  band  at  the  date  of 
the  last  "stock  taking,"  the  amount  purchased  since  taking 
account  of  stock,  the  amount  sold,  and  the  balance,  that  should 
be,  in  amount,  of  the  stock  on  hand,  (less,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
the  amount  of  gross  profits  made  on  the  amount  sold ;) — the 
amount  of  Cash  on  hand  at  stock  taking,  the  amount  since 
received,  the  amount  expended,  and  the  balance  on  hand  ; — The 
amount  of  Bills  Receivable  on  hand  at  stock  taking,  the  amount 
since  received,  the  amount  paid  in,  on  account  of  said  Bills, 
together  with  the  amount  that  has  passed  in  payment  of  the 
firm's  indebtedness,  and  the  balance  remaining  on .  hand  ; — The 
amount  of  Bills  Payable,  (which  must,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
include  accepted  drafts,)  running  at  the  time  of  stock  taking, 
the  amount  since  given  in  liquidation  or  on  account  of  the  firm's 
indebtedness,  (or  for  accommodation)  the  amount  expended  in 
the  redemption  of  said  Bills,  and  the  amount  (balance)  still  run- 
ning : — The  amount  paid  for  Expenses  since  stock  taking,  (such 
as  rents,  salaries,  gas,  fuel,  etc.)— The  amounts  paid  and 
received  for  Discounts,  Interest,  etc.,  and  the  balance  against  or 
in  favor  of  the  firm  : — The  amount  oT  losses  sustained  since 
stock  taking,  the  amount  received  on  account  of  debts  that  had 
previously  been  charged  to  Profit  and  Loss,  and  the  balance 
against  or  in  favor  of  the  firm : — And  lastly,  the  amounts  of 
Debit  and  Credit,  of  Individual  balances,  the  former  of  which, 
if  not  looked  to  with  an  earnestness  that  shall  lead  to  the  adop- 
tion of  measures  for  the  securement  of  every  cent,  will  lead  to 
failure,  sooner  or  later. 

These  ascertainments  can  be  given  by  a  good  Accountant, 
monthly,  fortnightly,  or  even  weekly,  in  a  weekly,  fortnightly, 
or  monthly  "  Trial  Balance,"  which  should  be  so  prepared  as  to 
give  the  head  of  the  firm  a  "  birds-eye  "  view  of  every  unbalanced 


178  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCEllANIES 


account  on  his  Ledger. — This  should  be  taken  home  by  the  busi- 
ness man,  to  be' read  and  pondered  over,  when  his  mind  is  free 
from  the  perplexities  of  pressing  calls  on  his  attention  to  this  and 
that  and  the  other  minutiae  of  active  business  life. 

To  be  thus  kept  apprized  of  his  affairs,  the  business  man  must 
employ  a  competent  Bookkeeper,  if  he  is  not  one  himself  and 
has  leisure  to  attend  to  that  part  of  his  business — this  will  cost 
him  from  one  thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year,  but 
that  amount  may  be  more  than  saved  by  the  head  of  the  firm 
being  made  better  qualified  to  direct  each  branch  of  his  affairs, 
in  a  business  like  manner. 

It  is  for  the  want  of  correct  information  of  their  own  stand- 
ing, and  consequently  of  the  qualifications  necessary  to  direct 
business  operations,  THAT  so  MANY  FAIL. 


102. 

A  GENTLEMAN  of  Charleston,  (S.  C.,)  who  was  unfortunate 
in  business  thirty  years  ago,  and  consequently  unable,  at  that 
time,  to  meet  his  engagements  with  his  creditors,  after  more 
than  twenty  years  of  toil,  succeeded  in  paying  every  creditor, 
(except  one  whose  residence  could  not  be  ascertained,)  the  whole 
amount  due  them.  He  has,  in  that  twenty  years,  brought  up 
and  educated  a  large  family,  but  he  still  owed  one  of  his  former 
creditors.  He  was  not  satisfied  to  keep  another's  property — he 
made  inquiry,  and  received  information  that  the  party  had  died 
some  years  since.  He  again  pursued  his  inquiry  respecting  the 
administrator,  and  ascertained  his  name  and  residence,  wrote 
him,  acknowledged  the  debt,  and  requested  him  to  inform  him 
of  the  manner  he  would  receive  the  money.  A  few  weeks  since, 
he  remitted  the  whole  amount,  principal  and  interest. 


FOR  MERCHANTS  AND   KEN   OF   BUSINESS.  179 


103. 

THERE  are  few  propositions  respecting  which  mercantile  men 
are  more  unanimously  agreed  than  that  which  affirms  the  inex- 
pediency and  folly  of  what  are  called  the  usury  laws ;  and  the 
tenacity  with  which  our  different  legislatures  adhere  to  their 
interdict  of  the  freedom  of  trade  in  this  article  of  money,  is  a 
striking  instance  of  the  propensity  of  our  legislators  to  trammel 
trade  with  laws  which  it  must  either  violate  or  sink  under. 

The  argument  against  the  propriety  of  legislative  interference 
to  regulate  the  rate  of  interest  appears  to  us  so  conclusive  and 
unanswerable,  and  has  been  so  repeatedly  and  clearly  set  forth, 
not  by  money-lenders  so  much  as  by  money-borrowers,  who  may 
be  presumed  to  have  understood  what  the  interests  of  trade 
demand,  that  we  are  amazed  that  the  whole  system  of  usury 
laws  has  not  long  since  been  blotted  from  the  statute-books  of 
every  State  in  the  Union. 

It  has  been  justly  urged,  that  it  is  plainly  hi  no  respect  more 
desirable  to  limit  the  rate  of  interest  than  it  would  be  to  limit 
the  rate  of  insurance,  or  the  prices  of  commodities.  And  though 
it  were  desirable,  it  cannot  be  accomplished.  The  real  effect  of 
all  legislative  enactments  having  such  an  object  in  view,  is  to 
increase,  not  diminish,  the  rate  of  interest.  When  the  rate 
fixed  by  law  is  less  than  the  customary  or  market  rate,  lenders 
and  borrowers  are  obliged  to  resort  to  circuitous  devices  to 
evade  the  law  ;  and  as  these  devices  are  always  attended  with 
more  or  less  trouble  and  risk,  the  rate  of  interest  is  proportion 
ably  enhanced. 

Fixed  rates  of  interest  are  absurd,  because  the  value  of  money 
is  constantly  varying,  being  subject  to  the  same  law  that  regu- 
lates other  articles.  Everybody  who  notices  the  daily  newspaper 


180  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


reports  can  see  for  himself  that  no  market  is  more  fluctuating 
than  the  money  market.  At  one  period  and  in  one  state  of 
things  money  is  worth  twice  as  much  as  at  another  time  and  in 
another  state  of  things.  Unless  the  legislature  can  stay  all  the 
fluctuations  of  trade,  it  is  idle  to  think  of  singling  out  the  article 
of  money,  and  insisting  that  that  shall  command  a  uniform 
price. 

Other  considerations  enter  into  the  contract  between  the  bor- 
rower and  lender  affecting  the  just  premium  for  the  use  of 
money.  The  rate  will  of  course  depend,  in  a  measure,  upon  the 
security  given.  In  proportion  as  that  is  doubtful,  should  the 
premium  rise.  The  lender  must  be  compensated  for  the  risk  he 
incurs,  as  well  as  for  the  use  of  his  funds,  and  it  is  right  and 
reasonable  that  he  should  be. 

In  short,  the  laws  to  which  we  are  objecting  are  destitute  of 
all  sound  basis.  They  are  unreasonable,  impracticable,  oppress- 
ive to  those  whom  they  profess  to  protect,  embarassing  to  legiti- 
mate trade,  and  an  unwarrantable  restriction  upon  every  man's 
freedom.  For  these  and  other  reasons  they  ought  to  be  abol- 
ished. 

104. 

IN  a  lecture  by  the  late  Judge  HOPKINSON,  of  Pennsylvania, 
delivered  before  the  Mercantile  Library  Associations  of  Phila- 
delphia and  New  York,  in  1839,  and  originally  published  in  the 
Merchant's  Magazine,  at  the  tune,  occurs  the  following  pas- 


"As  a  summary  of  the  doctrines  I  desire  to  impress  upon 
you,  let  me  add,  that  debts  contracted  in  the  indulgence  of 
extravagant  "and  unbecoming  luxuries,  or  in  the  pursuit  of  rash 
and  desperate  adventures,  are  a  violation  of  the  sound  principles 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  181 


of  mercantile  integrity  ;  that  the  true  merchant  will  thoroughly 
qualify  himself  for  his  business  by  a  patient  and  systematic  pre- 
paration, and  will  depend  upon  the  regular  operations  of  legiti- 
mate commerce  for  his  profits,  which,  though  more  slow,  are 
finally  more  sure  and  lasting  than  the  fluctuating  gains  of  specu- 
lation ;  that  if  misfortune  and  bankruptcy  should  fall  upon  him, 
he  will  meet  them  promptly  and  manfully,  and  not  attempt  to 
gain  a  few  lingering,  anxious  days  of  credit,  for  himself,  by  draw- 
ing his  friends  into  the  vortex  of  his  ruin,  and  extending  it  to 
others,  who  may,  unwittingly,  continue  to  trust  him.  He  will 
rather  at  onjce  surrender  into  the  hands  his  creditors  shall  choose 
to  hold  the  trusts  for  them,  all  the  property  in  his  possession  or 
power,  unencumbered  by  selfish  stipulations  for  his  own  benefit, 
undiminished  by  any  concealment,  or  by  assignments  or  transfers 
to  favorites  of  any  description." 

105. 

THE  late  William  Oliver,  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  who  died  hi 
1847,  left  the  whole  of  his  property,  valued  at  not  less  than 
a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  to  be  divided  equally  between  the 
Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  at  South  Boston,  and  the 
McLean  Assylum  for  the  Insane,  at  Somerville.  One-third  of 
this  sum  was  to  be  paid  over  immediately,  and  the  remainder  at 
the  decease  of  his  two  sisters.  Mr.  Oliver  commenced  life  as 
a  poor  boy,  and  acquired  his  property  by  his  prudence  and 
energy  in  mercantile  pursuits.  One  hundred  thousand  dollars 
was  the  amount  he  fixed  upon  as  the  extent  of  his  wishes  in 
early  life ;  and  when  he  had  made  that  sum,  he  retired  to  his 
country  residence  in  Dorchester,  and  passed  the  summer  and 
autumn  of  his  days  in  unceasing,  but  unostentatious  benevo- 
lence. 


182  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


106. 

ONE  of  the  most  important  lessons  to  be  impressed  upon 
business  men,  says  the  "  Independent,"  and  especially  upon 
young  men  who  are  seeking  their  fortune,  amid  the  intense  com- 
petition of  city  life,  is  a  sober  estimate  of  the  value  of  character 
above  wealth.  It  is  natural  to  men  to  create  factitious  distinc- 
tions in  society.  In  every  form  of  political  society,  except  the 
republic,  such  distinctions  exist  by  birth  or  in  permanent  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  orders.  Pride  is  nurtured  and  vanity  gratified 
by  blood,  or  family,  or  title,  or  inherited  rank.  But  such  dis- 
tinctions are  precluded  in  a  republic,  by  its  very  constitution. 
Hence,  there  remains  but  one  basis  of  social  distinction,  namely, 
wealth.  In  limited  circles,  indeed,  there  may  be  an  aristocracy 
of  talent,  of  education  and  refinement,  of  literature  or  science, 
but  in  society  at  large,  gradations  of  social  position  are  meas- 
ured by  stock-certificates,  rent-rolls,  and  bank-accounts.  In  the 
old  world  a  patent  of  nobility  holds  good,  though  there  is  no 
income  adequate  to  sustain  it ;  and  a  penniless  count  stands 
higher  in  the  social  scale  than  the  untitled  millionaire.  Here 
the  appearance  of  wealth  is  the  passport  from  circle  to  circle. 
Office  is  uncertain,  and  does  not  always  dignify  the  holder.  It 
cannot  be  retained  for  life,  much  less  transmitted  to  descendants. 
Hence,  wealth  has  gained  an  importance  far  beyond  that  which 
belongs  to  it  where  it  is  used  only  to  keep  up  an  estate,  to  dis- 
play rank,  to  enjoy  life,  to  procure  the  advantages  of  education 
and  of  travel.  Here  it  creates  rank  ;  it  gives  social  position, 
even  without  antecedent  respectability  or  correct  education  ; 
and  hence  pride  and  vanity,  that  in  other  countries  have  so 
many  and  various  outlets,  here  crowd  into  this  one  channel,  and 
either  fill  it  to  its  utmost  level,  or  agitate  it  with  eddies  and 
contentious  waves.  In  this  city,  especially,  the  feeling  is  uni- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  183 


versal,  that  to  be  anybody,  or  to  do  anything,  one  must  have 
wealth.  New  York  is  as  full  of  idols  as  Athens  was  when 
it  was  easier  to  find  a  god  there  thau  a  man  ;  nor  do  the 
objects  worshipped  in  the  two  cities  differ  except  in  form.  For 
what  do  men  here  worship  if  it  be  not  stocks  and  stones'? 
With  wealth  in  view  as  the  one  great  object  in  life,  upon 
which  every  thing  else  depends,  it  is  not  strange  that  many 
grasp  at  the  prize  without  any  scruple  as  to  the  means. 

In  the  upper  circles  of  fashionable  life  no  questions  are  asked 
how  one  came  by  his  money,  if  he  only  shows  that  he  has 
money,  or  appears  to"  have  it.  If  he  lives  in  a  fine  house, 
keeps  a  good  carriage,  gives  splendid  parties,  no  questions  are 
asked  as  to  whether  all  this  is  honestly  paid  for.  With  such  a 
standard  before  them,  it  is  not  surprising  that  aspiring  men, 
who  feel  themselves  in  other  respects  the  equals,  if  not  the 
superiors  of  their  wealthy  neighbors,  should  find  some  short 
road  to  wealth.  The  passion  for  riches,  the  idea  that  success 
in  life  depends  mainly  upon  wealth,  is  fruitful  in  temptations  to 
dishonor.  "  For  they  that  tcill  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and 
a  snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown 
men  in  destruction  and  perdition  ;  for  the  love  of  money  is  the 
root  of  all  evil ;  which  while  some  coveted  after,  they  have 
erred  from  the  faith,  and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many 
sorrows." 

This  is  the  maelstrom  of  character  in  our  city.  Men  will  be 
rich,  they  must  be  rich  ;  they  put  forth  on  the  sea  of  specula- 
tion, they  reach  after  every  floating  straw  of  prosperity,  they 
give  themselves  to  the  giddy  passion  of  money-getting,  and  are 
whirled  everywhither  by  its  power.  Smoothly  they  ride  at  first 
on  the  giddy  outskirts  of  dishonesty,  till  infatuated  with  the 
pursuit,  they  dive  deeper  and  deeper,  and  are  sucked  into  the 


184  MAXIMS.    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


mighty  vortex — a  wreck  of  character,  fortune,  hope,  and  life. 
The  only  safeguard  is  to  hug  the  shore  of  honesty.  Make 
character  supreme. 

So  strong  is  the  infatuation  of  wealth  among  us,  such  the 
glare  of  wealth  above  character,  such  the  imputed  disgrace  of 
poverty,  that  even  feminine  delicacy  will  come  out  from  the 
retirement  of  private  life  to  resent  the  imputation  of  poverty 
before  marriage  as  a  greater  grief  than  a  husband's  fraud  ;  and 
the  newspapers  must  publish  to  the  world  that,  whatever  rob- 
beries a  man  may  be  charged  with,  his  wife  was  never  guilty 
of  the  stupendous  crime — or  being  "  a  poor  girl."  We  trans- 
gress no  rule  of  propriety  in  thus  adverting  to  what  is  matter 
of  public  advertisement.  We  offer  no  censure  upon  individuals. 
But  is  it  not  pitiable  to  see  from  such  volunteer  exposures  of 
high  life,  how  wealth  and  character  stand  respectively  in  the 
estimation  of  many  who  make  our  society?  The  influence  of 
such  false  pride  is  baleful  in  the  extreme.  Is  it  not  worth  to 
any  woman  more  than  gold  to  say,  "  However  poor  I  or  my 
family  may  have  been,  my  husband  is  an  honest  man  !" 

107. 

IN  every  transaction,  let  the  terms  and  conditions  of  the 
bargain  be  understood  BEFOREHAND;  and  if  important,  put  hi 
writing;  and  in  cases  at  all  doubtful,  insist  on  a  guarantee. 

Be  not  afraid  to  ask  this;  it  is  the  best  test  of  responsibility; 
for,  if  offence  be  taken,  you  have  in  all  probability  escaped  loss. 
He  who  is  in  fact  responsible,  will  like  you  the  better  for  being 
thus  guarded;  for  he  knows  he  is  dealing  with  a  man  of  pru- 
dence, who  looks  to  the  end  of  things,  and  may  therefore  expect 
to  be  well  served.  You  may  always  protect  yourself  by  simply 
insisting  on  security.  "  Once  well  begun  is  twice  done." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  185 


108. 

WITHOUT  this  distinguishing  mark  of  true  manhood,  we  fail  in 
securing  either  the  happiness  of  ourselves  or  others.  Without 
ENERGY,  a  man  becomes  a  drone  in  society,  a  nonentity  in  the 
world.  There  are  special  occasions  in  the  life  of  every  man, 
when  he  needs  to  fall  back  upon  the  natural  energy  of  his  nature. 
Do  afflictions,  sad  and  grievous,  weigh  him  down  and  seem  to 
crush  him  to  the  earth  ?  Let  him  remember  that  this  is  but  the 
"  cup"  which  his  Divine. Master  has  given  him — the  "furnace" 
which  is  to  purify  his  soul,  and  fit  him  for  the  heavenly  rest  here- 
after. Rise  then  I  afflicted  man  I  Put  forth  the  energy  you 
possess,  and  soar  above  your  sorrows.  Perhaps  your  busi- 
ness cares  are  such  as  to  cause  you  many  anxious  days  and  sleep- 
less nights.  The  tunes  are  hard,  money  is  almost  out  of  the 
question,  and  yon  feel  like  folding  your  arms  and  giving  up  in 
despair.  We  hear  of  such  cases  every  day.  Don't  look  upon 
the  dark  side  of  the  picture  !  Keep  moving  I  If  you  fail  of 
success  in  one  place — try  another,  and  give  yourself  no  rest  till 
you  triumph. 

The  world  is  large  enough  for  us  all,  and  as  the  song  goes — 

"  Uncle  Sam  is  rich  enough 
To  give  us  all  a  farm/' 

Remember  that  the  world  does  not  contain  a  briar  or  a  thorn, 
that  divine  mercy  could  have  spared.  These  very  briars  and 
thorns  which  encompass  yon,  are  the  instruments  which  will 
try  the  energy  of  your  character,  and  settle  your  capacity  to 
fulfil  the  mission  of  life.  To  all  then,  we  say,  suffer  no  feeling 
of  despondency  to  weigh  you  down.  Rise  triumphantly  above 
all  your  sorrows  and  troubles,  and  you  will  make  the  world  bet- 
ter and  happier  for  having  been  born  into  it. 


186  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


109. 

IT  affords  us  pleasure  to  call  the  attention  of  the  readers  of 
our  "Maxims"  to  a  treatise  on  Moral  Philosophy,  that  exhibits 
the  principles  and  enforces  the  obligations  of  morality  in  all  their 
perfection  and  purity — a  work  that  furnishes  a  true  and  authori- 
tative standard  of  rectitude — by  an  appeal  to  which  the  moral 
character  of  human  actions  may  be  rightly  estimated.  Such,  in 
our  opinion,  is  the  character  of  "  Essays  on  the  Principles  of 
Morality,  and  on  Private  and  Political  Rights  and  Obligations 
of  Mankind.'"  Jonathan  Dymond,  the  author,  was  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  or  Quakers,  and  wrote  these  essays  whilst 
engaged  in  active  business  as  a  linen  draper,  in  London.  He 
died  quite  young,  in  the  spring  of  1828,  leaving  in  manuscript 
three  essays  on  the  above  subject. 

"Rejecting  what  he  considered  the  false  grounds  of  duty,  and 
erroneous  principles  of  action,  which  are  proposed  in  the  most 
prominent  and  most  generally  received  theories  of  moral  obliga- 
tion, he  proceeds  to  erect  a  system  of  morality  upon  the  only 
true  and  legitimate  basis — the  WILL  OF  GOD.  He  makes,  there- 
fore, the  authority  of  the  Deity  the  sole  ground  of  duty,  and  His 
communicated  will  the  only  ultimate  standard  of  right  and 
wrong;  and  assumes  that,  "wheresoever  this  will  is  made 
known,  human  duty  is  determined  ;  and  that  neither  the  conclu- 
sions of  philosophers,  nor  advantages,  nor  dangers,  nor  pleasures, 
nor  sufferings,  ought  to  have  any  opposing  influence  in  regulating 
our  conduct." 

The  attempt  to  establish  a  system  of  uncompromising  morality 
must  necessarily  bring  the  writer  into  direct  collision  with  the 
advocates  of  the  utilitarian  scheme,  particularly  with  the  cele- 
brated Dr.  Paley  ;  and,  accordingly,  it  will  be  found  that  he 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  187 


frequently  enters  the  lists  with  this  great  champion  of  expediency. 
In  thus  attempting  to  controvert  a  system  of  moral  philosophy, 
dubious,  fluctuating,  and  inconsistent  with  itself,  into  a  definite 
and  harmonious  code  of  ethics,  the  author  undertook  a  task  for 
which,  by  the  original  structure  of  his  mind,  and  his  prevailing 
habit  of  reflection,  he  was,  perhaps,  peculiarly  fitted.  He  had 
sought  for  himself,  and  he  endeavors  to  convey  to  others,  clear 
perceptions  of  the  true  and  the  right ;  and,  in  maintaining  what 
he  regarded  as  truth  and  rectitude,  he  shows  everywhere  an 
unshackled  independence  of  mind,  and  a  fearless,  unflinching 
spirit.  The  work  is  evidently  the  result  of  a  careful  study  of 
the  writings  of  moralists,  of  much  thought,  of  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  Christian  religion, 
and  an  extensive  examination  of  human  life  in  those  spheres  of 
action  which  are  seldom  apt  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  medita- 
tive philosopher. 

The  author,  in  proceeding  to  illustrate  his  principles,  evidently 
sought  as  far  as  might  be,  to  simplify  the  subject,  to  disencum- 
ber it  of  abstruse  and  metaphysical  appendages,  and  rejecting 
subtleties  and  needless  distinctions,  to  exhibit  a  standard  of 
morality  that  should  be  plain,  perspicuous,  and  practicable.  On 
the  subject  of  Insolvency  the  work  discourses  after  this  man- 
ner : — 

"  Why  is  a  man  obliged  to  pay  his  debts  ?  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  morality  of  a  few  persons  is  lax  enough  to  reply— 
Because  the  law  compels  him.  But  why,  then,  is  he  obliged 
to  pay  them?  Because  the  Moral  Law  requires  it.  That 
this  is  the  primary  ground  of  the  obligation,  is  evident ;  other- 
wise the  payment  of  any  debt  which  a  vicious  or  corrupt  legis- 
lature resolved  to  cancel,  would  cease  to  be  obligatory  on  the 
debtor.  The  Virginian  statute,  which  we  noticed  in  another 


188  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


essay,  would  have  been  a  sufficient  justification  to  the  planters 
to  defraud  their  creditors. 

"  A  man  becomes  insolvent  and  is  made  a  bankrupt :  he  pays 
his  creditors  ten  shillings  instead  of  twenty,  and  obtains  his  cer- 
tificate. The  law,  therefore,  discharges  him  from  the  obligation 
to  pay  more.  The  bankrupt  receives  a  large  legacy,  or  he 
engages  in  business  and  acquires  property.  Being  then  able  to 
pay  the  remainder  of  his  debts,  does  the  legal  discharge  exempt 
him  from  the  obligation  to  pay  them  ?  No  :  and  for  this  reason, 
that  the  legal  discharge  is  not  a  moral  discharge  ;  that  as  the 
duty  to  pay  at  all  was  not  duty  founded  primarily  on  the  law, 
the  law  cannot  warrant  him  in  withholding  a  part. 

"  It  is,  however,  said,  that  the  creditors  have  relinquished  their 
right  to  the  remainder  by  signing  the  certificate.  But  why  did 
they  except  half  their  demands  instead  of  the  whole  ?  Because 
they  were  obliged  to  do  it ;  they  could  get  no  more.  As  to 
granting  the  certificate,  they  do  it  because  to  withhold  it  would 
be  only  an  act  of  gratuitous  unkindness.  It  would  be  preposte- 
rous to  say  that  creditors  relinquish  then*  claims  voluntarily  ;  for 
no  one  would  give  up  his  claim  to  twenty  shillings  on  the  receipt 
of  ten,  if  he  could  get  the  other  ten  by  refusing.  It  might  as 
reasonably  be  said  that  a  man  parts  with  a  limb  voluntarily,  be- 
cause, having  incurably  lacerated  it,  he  submits  to  an  amputation. 
It  is  to  be  remembered,  too,  that  the  necessary  relinquishment  of 
half  of  the  demand  is  occasioned  by  the  debtor  himself ;  and  it 
seems  very  manifest  that  when  a  man,  by  his  own  act,  deprives 
another  of  his  property,  he  cannot  allege  the  consequences  of 
that  act  as  a  justification  of  withholding  it  after  restoration  is  in 
his  power. 

"The  mode  in  which  an  insolvent  man  ob tarns  a  discharge, 
does  not  appear  to  effect  his  subsequent  duties.  Compositions, 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AM)   HEN   OF   BUSINESS.  189 


and  bankruptcies,  and  discharges  by  an  insolvent  act  are  in  this 
respect  alike.  The  acceptance  of  a  part  instead  of  the  whole  is 
not  voluntary  in  either  case  ;  and  neither  case  exempts  the 
debtor  from  the  obligation  to  pay  in  full  if  he  can. 

"  If  it  should  be  urged  that  when  a  person  entrusts  property  to 
another,  he  knowingly  undertakes  the  risk  of  that  other's  insolv- 
ency, and  that,  if  the  contingent  loss  happens,  he  has  no  claims 
to  justice  on  the  other,  the  answer  is  this  ;  that  whatever  may 
be  thought  of  these  claims,  they  are  not  the  grounds  upon  which 
the  debtor  is  obliged  to  pay.  The  debtor  always  engages  to 
pay,  and  the  engagement  is  enforced  by  morality ;  the  engage- 
ment, therefore,  is  binding,  whatever  risk  another  man  may  incur 
by  relying  upon  it.  The  causes  which  have  occasioned  a  person's 
insolvency,  although  they  greatly  affect  his  character,  do  not 
affect  his  obligations  :  the  duty  to  repay  when  he  has  the  power, 
is  the  same  whether  the  insolvency  were  occasioned  by  his  fault 
or  his  misfortune.  In  all  cases,  the  reasoning  that  applies  to 
the  debt,  applies  also  to  the  interest  that  accrues  upon  it ; 
although  with  respect  to  the  acceptance  of  both,  and  espe- 
cially of  interest,  a  creditor  should  exercise  a  considerate  discre- 
tion. A  man  who  has  failed  of  paying  his  debts  ought  always 
to  live  with  frugality,  and  carefully  to  economize  such  money 
as  he  gains.  He  should  reflect  that  he  is  a  trustee  for  his  cre- 
ditors, and  all  the  needless  money  which  he  expends  is  not  his, 
but  theirs. 

"  The  amount  of  property  which  the  trading  part  of  a  commer- 
cial nation  loses  by  insolvency,  is  great  enough  to  constitute  a 
considerable  national  evil.  The  fraud  too,  that  is  practised 
under  cover  of  insolvency,  is  doubtless  the  most  extensive  of  all 
species  of  private  robbery.  The  profligacy  of  some  of  these 
cases  is  weH  known  to  be  extreme.  He  who  is  a  bankrupt 


190  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


to-day,  riots  in  the  luxuries  of  affluence  to-morrow  ;  bows  to 
the  creditors  whose  money  he  is  spending,  and  exults  in  the  suc- 
cess and  impunity  of  his  wickedness.  Of  such  conduct  we  should 
not  speak  or  think  but  with  detestation.  We  should  no  more 
sit  at  table,  or  take  the  hand  of  such  a  man,  than  if  we  knew  he 
had  got  his  money  last  night  on  the  highway.  There  is  a 
wickedness  in  some  bankruptcies  to  which  the  guilt  of  ordinary 
robbers  approaches  but  a  distance.  Happy,  if  such  wickedness 
could  not  be  practised  with  legal  impunity  !  Happy,  if  public 
opinion  supplied  the  deficiency  of  the  law  and  held  the  iniquity 
in  rightful  abhorrence  ! 

"  Perhaps  nothing  would  tend  so  efficaciously  to  diminish  the 
general  evils  of  insolvency,  as  a  sound  state  of  public  opinion  res- 
pecting the  obligation  to  pay  our  debts.  The  insolvent  who, 
with  the  means  of  paying,  retains  the  money  in  his  own  pocket, 
is,  and  he  should  be  regarded  as  being,  a  dishonest  man.  If 
public  opinion  held  such  conduct  to  be  of  the  same  character  as 
theft,  probably  a  more  powerful  motive  to  avoid  insolvency 
would  be  established  than  any  which  now  exists.  Who  would 
not  anxiously  (and  therefore,  in  almost  all  cases,  successfully) 
struggle  against  insolvency,  when  he  knew  that  it  would  be  fol- 
lowed, if  not  by  permanent  poverty,  by  permanent  disgrace  ?  If 
it  should  be  said  that  to  act  upon  such  a  system  would  overwhelm 
an  insolvent's  energies,  keep  him  in  perpetual  inactivity,  and 
deprive  his  family  of  the  benefit  of  his  exertions — I  answer,  that 
the  evil,  supposing  it  to  impend,  would  be  much  less  extensive 
than  may  be  imagined.  The  calamity  being  foreseen,  would  pre- 
vent men  from  becoming  insolvent ;  and  it  is  certain  that  the 
majority  might  have  avoided  insolvency  by  sufficient  care.  Be- 
sides, if  a  man's  principles  are  such  that  he  would  rather  sink 
into  inactivity  than  exert  himself  in  order  to  be  just,  it  is  not 


FOR.  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  191 


necessary  to  mould  public  opinion  to  his  character.  The  ques- 
tion, too,  is  not  whether  some  men  would  not  prefer  indolence  to 
the  calls  of  justice,  but  whether  the  public  should  judge  accu- 
rately respecting  what  those  calls  are.  The  state,  and  especially 
a  family,  might  lose  occasionally  by  this  reform  of  opinion — and 
so  they  do  by  sending  a  man  to  New  South  Wales  ;  but  who 
would  think  this  a  good  reason  for  setting  criminals  at  large  ? 
And  after  all,  much  more  would  be  gamed  by  preventing  insolv- 
ency, than  lost  by  the  ill  consequences  upon  the  few  who  failed 
to  pay  their  debts. 

"  It  is  cause  of  satisfaction,  that,  respecting  this  rectified  state 
of  opinion,  and  respecting  integrity  of  private  virtue,  some  exam- 
ples are  offered.  There  is  one  community  of  Christians  which 
holds  its  members  obliged  to  pay  their  debts  whenever  they  have 
the  ability,  without  regard  to  the  legal  discharge.*  By  this 
means,  there  is  thrown  over  the  character  of  every  bankrupt 
who  possesses  property,  a  shade  which  nothing  but  payment  can 
dispel.  The  effect,  (in  conjunction  we  may  hope  with  private 
integrity  of  principle)  is  good — good,  both  in  instituting  a 
new  motive  to  avoid  insolvency,  and  in  inducing  some  of 
those  who  do  become  insolvent,  subsequently  to  pay  all  their 
debts. 


*  "  Where  any  have  injured  others  in  their  property,  the  greatest  frugality  should 
be  observed  by  themselves  and  their  families ;  and  although  they  may  have  a  legal 
discharge  from  their  creditors,  both  equity  and  our  Christian  profession  demand,  that 
none,  when  they  have  it  in  their  power,  should  rest  satisfied  until  a  just  restitution 
be  made  to  those  who  have  suffered  by  them.  And  it  is  the  judgment  of  this  meeting, 
that  monthly  and  other  meetings  ought  not  to  receive  collections  or  bequests  for  the 
use  of  the  poor,  or  any  other  services  of  the  society  ;  of  persons  who  have  fallen  short 
in  the  payment  of  their  just  debts,  though  legally  discharged  by  their  creditors  ;  for 
until  such  persons  have  paid  the  deficiency,  their  possessions  cannot  in  equity  be  con- 
sidered as  their  own."  —  Official  documenit  of  the  yearly  meeting  of  the  Society  of 
Friend*. 


192  MAXIMS,    MORALS -AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  Of  this  latter  effect  many  honorable  instances  might  be 
given  :  two  of  which  having  fallen  under  my  observation,  I  would 
briefly  mention.  A  man  had  become  insolvent,  I  believe,  in  early 
life  ;  his  creditors  divided  his  property  amongst  them,  and  gave 
him  a  legal  discharge.  He  appears  to  have  formed  the  resolution 
to  pay  the  remainder,  if  his  own  exertions  should  enable  him  to 
do  it.  He  procured  employment,  by  which,  however,  he  never 
gained  more  than  twenty  shillings  a  week  ;  and  worked  industri- 
ously and  lived  frugally  for  eighteen  years.  At  the  expiration  of 
this  tune  he  found  he  had  accumulated  enough  to  pay  the  remain- 
der, and  he  sent  the  money  to  his  creditors.  Such  a  man,  I  think, 
might  hope  to  derive,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  greater 
satisfaction  from  the  consciousness  of  integrity,  than  he  would 
have  derived  from  expending  the  money  on  himself.  It  should 
be  told  that  many  of  his  creditors,  when  they  heard  the  circum- 
stances, declined  to  receive  the  money,  or  voluntarily  presented 
it  to  him  again.  One  of  these  was  my  neighbor  ;  he  had  been 
but  little  accustomed  to  exemplary  virtue,  and  the  proffered 
money  astonished  him  ;  he  talked  in  loud  commendation  of  what 
to  him  was  unheard-of  integrity  ;  signed  a  receipt  for  the  amount, 
and  sent  it  back  as  a  present  to  the  debtor.  The  other  instance 
may  furnish  hints  of  a  useful  kind.  It  was  the  case  of  a  female 
who  had  endeavored  to  support  herself  by  the  profits  of  a  shop. 
She,  however,  became  insolvent,  paid  some  dividend,  and  received 
a  discharge.  She  again  entered  into  business,  and  in  the  course 
of  years  had  accumulated  enough  to  pay  the  remainder  of  her 
debts.  But  the  infirmities  of  age  were  now  coming  on,  and  the 
annual  income  from  her  savings  was  just  sufficient  for  the  wants 
of  her  declining  years.  Being  thus  at  present  unable  to  dis- 
charge her  obligations  without  subjecting  herself  to  the  necessity 
of  obtaining  relief  from  others  ;  she  executed  a  will,  directing 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  198 


that  at  her  death  the  creditors  should  be  paid  the  remainder  of 
their  demands :  and  when  she  died  they  were  paid  accord- 
ingly. 

"  A  young  man  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  purchases  arti- 
cles of  a  tradesman,  of  which  some  are  necessary  and  some  are 
not.  Payment  for  unnecessary  articles  cannot  be  enforced  by 
the  English  law — the  reason  with  the  legislature  being  this,  that 
thoughtless  youths  might  be  practised  upon  by  designing  persons, 
and  induced  to  make  needless  and  extravagant  purchases.  But 
is  the  youth  who  purchases  unnecessary  articles  with  the  promise 
to  pay  when  he  becomes  of  age,  exempted  from  the  obligation  ? 
Now  it  is  to  be  remembered,  generally,  that  this  obligation  is 
not  founded  upon  the  law  of  the  land,  and  therefore,  that  law 
cannot  dispense  with  it.  But  if  the  tradesman  has  actually 
taken  advantage  of  the  inexperience  of  a  youth,  to  cajole  him 
into  debts  of  which  he  was  not  conscious  of — the  amount  or  the 
impropriety,  it  does  not  appear  that  he  is  obliged  to  pay  them  ; 
and  for  this  reason,  that  he  did  not,  in  any  proper  sense  of  the 
term,  come  under  an  obligation  to  pay  them.  In  other  cases, 
the  obligation  remains.  The  circumstance  that  the  law  will  not 
assist  the  creditor  to  recover  the  money,  does  not  dispense  with 
it.  It  is  fit,  no  doubt,  that  these  dishonorable  tradesmen  should 
be  punished,  though  the  mode  of  punishing  them  is  exceptionable 
indeed.  It  operates  as  a  powerful  temptation  to  fraud  in  young 
men,  and  it  is  a  bad  system  to  discourage  dishonesty  in  one  per- 
son by  tempting  the  probity  of  another  ;  the  youth,  too,  is  of  all 
persons  the  last  who  should  profit  by  the  punishment  of  the 
trader.  He  is  reprehensible  himself :  young  men  who  contract 
such  debts  are  seldom  so  young  or  so  ignorant  as  not  to  know 
that  they  are  doing  wrong." 


194  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


110. 

TH-(|  world  is  too  apt  to  judge  of  men  by  their  success  or  fail- 
ure in  their  business  relations,  and  in  this,  the  world  again  shows 
that  "  its  wisdom  is  foolishness."  It  is  and  must  be  evident  to 
the  most  unobserving — we  mean  those  whose  hearts  and  very 
souls  are  not  bound  up  in  money,  who  do  not  worship  Mammon, 
who  have  not  bent  the  knee  to  the  golden  image  of  themselves, 
(the  calf)  who  know  no  relative  distinction  between  man  and 
man,  except  the  bare  possession  of  wealth,  obtained  from  success 
in  business,  that  the  preponderance  of  good  qualities,  those  which 
bring  a  man  sympathizingly  nearer  to  his  fellow  being,  that  make 
him  a  better  citizen,  neighbor,  parent  and  friend,  are  possessed 
in  a  greater  degree  by  the  unsuccessful,  than  by  those  who  have 
met  with  no  reverses  of  fortune. 

Of  course,  our  remarks  are  not  intended  to  apply  to  those 
who  have  failed  in  life,  from  being  addicted  to  vicious  courses 
and  idle,  dissolute  pleasures  ;  but  we  mean  those  who  have  been 
unsuccessful,  from  a  lack  of  the  requisite  boldness,  tact  and  per- 
severance in  business  pursuits,  which  generally  arise  from  a  spirit 
of  covetousness  and  an  overpowering  desire  to  amass  wealth. 

How  often  do  we  not  observe  men,  who  possess  every  enno- 
bling qualification,  talented,  intellectual,  humane,  brave  and 
kind,  that  are  beset  by  pecuniary  difficulties  and  surrounded  by 
poverty  ;  while  others,  who  are  not  fit  to  untie  the  latchets  of 
their  shoes,  are  rolling  in  wealth,  like  the  hog  in  his  mire  !  How 
often  do  we  not  hear  the  trite  old  proverb  repeated,  of  "a  fool 
for  luck."  These  men  amass  money,  they  hoard  and  lay  up 
thousands  on  thousands,  they  die,  rot  and  are  forgotten.  They 
know  not  the  use  of  the  means  God  gave  them,  the  time,  health 
and  opportunity  to  acquire.  They  seemed  not  to  be  aware  that 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  195 


it  was  the  rightful  property  of  the  Great  Master  of  the  Universe, 
of  whom  they  were  only  stewards.  They  understood  not,  that  it 
was  merely  put  under  their  care  for  noble  and  great  uses  ;  but 
hugged  the  flattering  unction  to  their  souls,  that  it  was  gained 
and  achieved  by  their  own  personal  wisdom  and  untiring  indus- 
try ;  that  to  them  is  due  the  jjraise  of  having  exhibited  a  supe- 
rior shrewdness  and  deeper  cunning  hi  its  attainment ;  and  with 
their  hands  thrust  deep  into  their  pockets,  they  strut  their  brief 
career  on  this  petty  scene  of  existence,  arrogating  to  themselves, 
as  they  look  with  scornful  eye  upon  their  poorer  brother,  the 
Pharasaical  conceit,  "  I  am  better  than  thou." 

Could  these  men  but  know  and  feel  how  really  pitiful  they 
were ;  how  they  have  thrown  away  and  trampled  upon  the 
nobler  qualities  of  the  soul,  how  they  have  lost  time  and  con- 
verted talent  to  the  ignoble  purpose  of  the  mere  amassing  of 
that  dross,  the  bare  possession  of  which  causes  a  silent,  but  fer- 
vent aspiration  for  the  termination  of  their  mortal  careers  ;  they 
would  not  be  so  apt  to  pride  themselves  on  the  result  of  their 
toil. 

We  cannot  do  better  than  to  close  this  essay  with  the  follow- 
ing truthful  and  telling  sentences,  uttered  by  Mr.  Geo.  Hilliar'd, 
of  Boston,  before  a  large  and  intelligent  audience.  They  are 
worthy  of  being  stored  up  in  the  memory  and  garnered  in  the 
heart. 

"  I  confess  that  increasing  years  bring  with  them  an  increas- 
ing respect  for  men,  who  do  not  succeed  in  life,  as  those  words 
are  commonly  used.  Heaven  has  been  said  to  be  a  place  for 
those  who  have  not  succeeded  upon  earth  ;  and  it  is  surely  true 
that  celestial  graces  do  not  best  thrive  and  bloom  in  the  hot 
blaze  of  worldly  prosperity.  Ill  success  sometimes  arise  from  a 
superabundance  of  qualities  in  themselves  good — from  a  con- 


196  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


science  too  sensitive,  a  taste  too  fastidious,  a  self-forgetfulness 
too  romantic,  a  modesty  too  retiring.  I  do  not  go  so  far  as  to 
say  with  a  living  poet,  that  'the  world  knows  nothing  of  its 
greatest  men,'  but  there  are  forms  of  greatness,  or  at  least  of 
excellence,  which  '  die  and  make  no  sign  ;'  these  are  martyrs 
that  miss  the  palm,  but  not  the  stake  ;  heroes  without  the 
laurel,  and  conquerors  without  the  triumph." 

111. 

HAVING  taken  possession  of  your  premises,  let  your  first  care 
be  to  insure  them,  as  well  as  your  stock  in  trade,  against  fire. 
This  is  one  of  the  duties  most  incumbent  upon  a  young  trades- 
man. If  the  house  which  he  inhabits,  as  well  as  all  the  goods 
hi  his  shop,  were  positively  his  own,  (that  is  to  say,  were  actu- 
ally paid  for,)  it  would  be  one  of  the  most  absurd  things  upon 
earth  to  neglect  the  means  of  providing  a  remedy  against  the 
overwhelming  consequences  of  fire,  more  especially  when  such 
remedy  is  attainable  without  the  slightest  difficulty  or  trouble. 
But  in  the  other,  and  more  common  case,  where  the  goods  are 
not  morally  his  own,  inasmuch,  as  his  creditors  have  not  been 
paid  for  them,  the  neglect  of  this  precaution  becomes  absolutely 
criminal.  If  a  tradesman  who  has  obtained  goods  upon  credit, 
hesitates  or  neglects  to  insure  them  against  fire,  and  they  should 
afterwards  be  consumed,  and  he  be  unable  to  pay  for  them  in 
consequence,  however  much  others  may  mince  the  matter,  the 
simple  fact  will  be,  that  he  has  negatively  robbed  those  who 
confided  in  him.  Neglect  this  precaution,  and  I  should  feel 
no  pity  for  you  if  your  stock  and  furniture  were  all  destroyed 
by  fire ! 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  197 


112. 

NOT  many  years  ago,  the  father,  in  placing  his  son  at  school, 
used  such  language  as  this  :  "I  wish  my  boy  to  learn  arithmetic 
and  writing  ;  but  I  do  not  care  about  his  studying  any  foreign 
language,  or  to  take  up  his  time  with  history  ;  for  I  am  going  to 
make  a  merchant  of  him."  The  lad,  intended  for  the  store,  did 
spend  his  time  on  the  multiplication  and  interest  tables  ;  he  did 
learn  to  write  and  read,  and  these,  many  merchants  can  bear 
testimony,  closed  his  school  career.  How  many  a  man  can 
recollect  when  he  bade  adieu  to  his  schoolmates  for  the  last  time, 
and  felt  he  was  committing  but  a  frail  bark  to  the  tempestuous 
world,  as  the  school  door  closed  behind  him  forever.  Just  at  the 
time  that  he  was  beginning  to  feel  some  interest  in  his  studies, 
because  he  was  beginning  to  understand  them,  he  was  cut  short 
of  any  further  instructions,  and  turned  into  the  counting-house, 
to  sigh  for  the  green  play-ground,  his  merry  school-fellows,  and 
perhaps,  for  daily  tasks  which,  when  completed,  made  his  mind 
spring  with  elastic  joy.  But  his  easy  dress  must  undergo  a 
change  also.  The  round  jacket  must  give  place  to  a  premature 
long-tailed  coat ;  the  easy  shoe  to  the  high-heeled  boot ;  the  open 
shirt  collar  to  the  starched  cravat.  With  the  feelings  of  a  boy, 
but  the  dress  of  a  man,  he  is  forced,  at  the  tender  age  of  four- 
teen, to  lay  aside  his  affections  and  assume  ceremony  ;  to  be 
polite  where  he  wishes  to  love  ;  to  smile  when  he  longs  to  laugh ; 
to  walk  consequentially,  when  he  longs  to  run  and  shout.  His 
tastes,  too  ;  what  a  sacrifice  !  He  loved  flowers,  the  fragrant 
hay,  the  breath  of  spring,  the  noise  of  the  spring  freshet,  which 
told  him  that  the  snows  were  melting  on  the  hill-sides.  Instead 
of  these,  he  has  the  smell  of  tar,  docks,  and  foreign  spices.  Per- 
haps his  employment  is  hi  a  store  where  South  American  hides 


198  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


are  stored  for  sale.  Here,  lie  holds  his  nose,  at  first,  in  deep 
disgust ;  but  habit  is  second  nature,  and  he,  after  a  while,  can 
face  even  this  like  a  man  ;  but,  as  he  opens  the  store  of  a  warm, 
summer  morning,  he  is  forced  to  say  to  himself,  "  This  being  a 
merchant  is  not  what  it  is  cracked  up  to  be,  after  all."  Poor 
boy  !  thy  education  is  just  begun.  Many  years  of  dry,  profitless 
toil  are  before  thee  ;  many  long  walks  with  heavy  bundles, 
wearying  thy  arms,  unused  to  any  weights  but  thy  light  bat  and 
ball,  or  gaily  painted  fish  pole  ;  perchance  thy  curiously  orna- 
mented gun,  stored  away  hi  charge  of  thy  fond  mother,  now  far 
from  thee  in  thy  dear,  rural  home — you  will  survive  all  this,  and, 
by  and  by,  forget  those  thoughts  that  now  bring  thy  heart  almost 
into  thy  throat,  and  to  repay  thee,  thy  own  name  will  stand  in 
gilded  letters  over  the  door  from  which  thou  now  sweepest  the 
blinding  dust  of  commerce.  Courage  1 

We  know  it  is  easy  to  pick  flaws  in  almost  any  system  of 
education  ;  but  we  appeal  to  all  thinking  men  if  the  training 
young  boys  receive,  who  intend  to  follow  trade  as  their  occupa- 
tion, it  is  not  necessarily  incomplete  and  shallow  ?  To  begin 
with  :  very  many  are  obliged  to  resort  to  the  city  writing  master, 
after  they  have  commenced  their  clerkship,  to  make  up  for  de- 
ficient practice  at  school.  Not  a  few  get  their  knowledge  of 
accounts  and  book-keepipg  by  sad  experience  of  errors,  which 
cost  their  employers  much  more  than  tuition  fees.  But  these  are 
slight  matters,  compared  with  others  we  have  to  mention.  The 
lad,  fitting  for  the  store,  is  only  taught  those  branches  which  will 
enable  him  to  perform  the  duties  of  his  place.  His  intellectual 
powers,  his  tastes,  his  habits  of  mind,  are  viewed  as  of  little  con- 
sequence. It  seems  to  be  forgotten,  that  he  must  have  leisure 
hours  to  employ;  times  when,  unless  he  is  doing  something  good, 
he  will  find  something  evil  to  occupy  him.  It  is  forgotten  that 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  199 


he  is  a  tender,  impressible  being,  open  to  all  influences  about  him, 
and,  as  a  youth,  liable  to  be  caught  with  syren  songs  and  gilded 
baits.  If  he  reads  will  he  turn  to  history  or  biography  ?  No, 
he  has  no  taste  for  such  studies  ;  he  was  educated  to  be  a  mer- 
chant. What  will  be  his  reading  ?  Most  probably,  some  highly- 
wrought  novel,  which  will  inflame  his  passions  and  give  him  a 
romantic  turn.  Does  he  read  Latin  or  French  in  his  leisure 
hours  ?  Oh  no,  these  are  forbidden  books  to  the  young  clerk  ; 
dead  languages  to  him,  paying  no  interest,  teaching  nothing 
about  buying  and  selling,  taking  his  attention  from  the  solid 
branches,  the  useful  branches.  Alas  !  what  can  he  do  in  such  a 
case  but  read  novels  or  go  to  the  play,  or  learn  practical  geo- 
metry on  a  billiard  table  ?  At  this  last  employment  he  learns 
angles  with  a  vengeance,  and  forgets  often,  on  his  way  home  from 
such  a  resort,  the  mathematical  principle,  "  that  a  straight  line  is 
the  shortest  distance  between  two  points." 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  so  much  of  human  effort  is  be- 
stowed upon  reforming  evils  which  might  have  been  prevented  in 
the  outset.  After  an  alarming  conflagration,  that  burns  down  a 
large  part  of  the  city,  an  efficient  fire  police  is  established.  Af- 
ter an  epidemic  has  got  strong  hold  of  the  citizens,  the  mayor 
looks  carefully  to  the  cleansing  of  the  streets.  Churches  are  built, 
and  ministers  are  fed,  to  reclaim  the  vicious  man  whose  early 
youth  was  neglected ;  and  finally  a  system  of  public  lectures 
is  going  on  in  all  our  cities,  to  teach  men  and  women  the  ele- 
ments of  history  and  science,  which  they  ought  to  have  learned 
at  school.  And,  in  this  last  specific,  the  solid  food  has  been 
given  in  moderate  doses,  well  disguised  in  declamation  and 
flowery  language,  for  fear  of  nauseating  the  patients,  weak  with 
long  fasting. 

The  fact  to  which  we  allude  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  the 


200  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


whole  coarse  of  education.  We  send  our  children  to  cheap 
schools,  sometimes  to  the  district  school,  where  teachers  are  hired 
for  about  the  wages  of  the  man  who  sweeps  the  streets,  where 
they  are  taught  bad  pronunciation,  slovenly  reading,  and  riddles 
in  arithmetic,  and  then,  if  they  set  about  obtaining  anything  like 
a  complete  education,  much  time  and  labor  must  first  be  spent  in 
unlearning,  reforming,  and  getting  a  fair  start.  But  little  care 
and  expense  is  bestowed  upon  the  la'd  who  is  destined  for  the 
store,  because  the  parent  hopes  that  his  education  will  some  how 
or  other  be  completed  by  running  of  errands,  doing  up  parcels, 
and  going  to  the  post  office. 

And,  strange  enough  to  tell  !  it  is  finished  in  this  hap-hazard 
way  ;  and  the  young  man,  after  a  few  years,  returns  to  the  home 
lie  left — a  raw  country  lad,  a  polished  gentleman.  His  dress  is 
faultless,  his  manners  are  easy,  his  conversational  powers  quite 
the  wonder  of  the  village  maidens.  How  is  this  ?  Where  did 
he  acquire  his  language,  his  fund  of  information,  his  ready  wit 
and  store  of  sparkling  anecdote  ?  In  the  world,  to  be  sure  ;  by 
mixing  with  his  fellows,  talking,  walking  the  streets,  keeping  his 
eyes  open,  and  learning  to  observe. 

Was  it  ever  your  good  fortune,  kind  reader,  to  fall  in  with  a 
city-bred  lawyer,  merchant,  doctor  or  mechanic,  in  a  stage-coach, 
on  a  long  journey  ?  and  did  he  not  enliven  your  otherwise  tedious 
ride,  and  appear  to  you  like  a  being  from  another  world,  by  the 
side  of  silent  country  squires,  who  stand  so  much  upon  their 
dignity  ?  If  such  has  been  your  luck,  you  can  readily  understand 
how  a  free  intercourse  with  men  of  all  ranks  and  professions,  how 
the  rude  bustle  of  the  city  streets,  their  noise  and  life,  educate 
and  inform,  and  give  life  to  the  mind. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  city  folks  and  city  clerks  are  so  bright 
and  amusing,  for  they  are  forced  to  employ  their  faculties,  if  it 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  201 


be  for  nothing  else,  to  keep  out  of  the  way.  Here  is  no  stagna- 
tion, no  apathy,  no  time  for  castle-building  ;  it  is  all  reality,  life, 
actipn,  and  self-preservation.  Where  else  in  England,  than  in 
busy  London,  could  Charles  Lamb  have  found  materials  for  his 
inimitable  essays  ?  How  happens  it  that  our  best  poets,  Sprague 
and  Bryant,  live  in  the  very  din  of  the  world's  noise,  unless  there 
is  a  kind  of  inspiration  in  it  ? 

It  may  seem  that  we  argue  against  ourselves  in  showing  the 
valuable  education  of  city  life  ;  in  stating  that  men,  with  little 
book  learning,  in  a  few  years  become  polished,  agreeable,  and 
amusing.  This  is  the  bright  side  of  the  picture — the  shading 
will  come  presently.  It  is  not  stating  the  truth  too  strongly  to 
say  that  America  is  proud  of  her  merchants.  In  fact  it  is 
another  name  for  gentlemen  among  us.  Whether  in  the  church, 
the  legislative  hall,  the  drawing-room,  the  home,  they  suffer  not 
in  comparison  with  any  men  in  the  land.  We  are  a.  mercantile 
people,  a  trading  nation,  and  why  should  not  our  merchants 
stand  first  and  foremost  in  every  enterprise?  But — we  are 
bound  in  conscience  to  speak  the  truth — many  young  men  are 
ruined  in  our  cities  yearly,  for  lack  of  a  better  early  training  of 
the  intellect  and  the  heart.  Thousands  fall  a  prey  to  dissipation 
and  vice,  because  they  have  no  taste  for  quiet  and  studious  pur- 
suits. Their  business  being  over  for  the  day,  they  seek  that 
relaxation,  in  forbidden  pleasures,  which  the  fireside,  the  library, 
the  literary  circle  should  furnish.  And  the  error  is,  that  young 
lads  intended  for  mercantile  life,  are  not  well  educated.  We 
have  as  good  as  acknowledged  that  they  can  get  along  very  well, 
as  far  as  business  and  appearance  and  social  intercourse  are 
concerned  without  a  very  complete  education,  but  there  is  some- 
thing more  concerned  besides  these.  There  is  a  moral  nature  at 
stake — a  soul,  a  heart,  affections  and  habits. 

9* 


202  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


The  literary  societies  in  the  city  are  doing  an  immense  deal  of 
good,  and  remedy,  in  part,  the  evil  to  which  we  allude.  But  it 
will  not  be  questioned  that  something  more  may  be  done,  away 
back  of  the  period  when  these  are  brought  to  bear  upon  the 
young  mind.  To  reap  the  advantages  of  the  fine  libraries  now 
open  to  the  young  merchant,  he  must  receive  an  early  training 
which  will  fit  him  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  the  books  that  other- 
wise will  be  dead  letter  to  his  eyes.  Who  could  read  and  enjoy 
Milton  as  his  first  book  of  poetry  ?  Who  would  understand  Sil- 
liinan's  Journal,  that  had  not  paid  any  attention  to  the  natural 
sciences  ?  Will  the  lyceum,  the  lecture-room,  the  debating-hall, 
furnish  their  full  advantages  to  him  who  begins  his  education  in 
places  designed  to  polish,  perfect,  and  keep  fresh  the  mind  ?  The 
answer  to  these  questions  grants  the  point  we  would  urge — a 
better  primary  education  for  those  intended  for  mercantile  life. 

113. 

THE  Life  and  Times  of  Jacques  Coeur,  the  French  Argonaut, 
was  published  in  London  hi  1847.  It  contains  the  only  notice, 
we  believe,  in  English,  of  the  great  French  merchant  and  finan- 
cier of  the  middle  ages,  during  the  reigns  of  Henry  V.  and  VI., 
in  England.  The  London  Examiner  thus  states  the  leading 
facts  in  the  life  of  Jacques  Cceur  : — 

"It  was  the  money  of  Jacques  Coaur  which  enabled  the 
French  to  profit  by  the  genius  and  enthusiasm  of  Joan  of  Arc  ; 
and  it  was  his  honest  sympathy,  and  steady,  manly  counsel, 
which  seems  to  have  sustained  the  tender  and  brave  heart  of  the 
noblest  of  royal  mistresses,  Agnes  Sorel,  in  her  efforts  to  save 
the  king.  On  her  death,  she  selected  him  for  her  executor.  He 
had  sprung  from  the  people,  and  raised  himself,  by  successful 
commercial  enterprise,  to  a  level  with  the  princes  of  his  age.  He 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  203 


found  French  commerce  behind  that  of  every  other  nation,  and 
left  it  prosperous  and  increasing.  Direct  and  speedy  communica- 
tion with  the  East  seems  to  have  been  his  great  idea.  Modern 
Europe  is  still  contending  for  it.  He  had  at  one  time,  hi  this 
employment,  three  hundred  factors  ;  and  the  rest  of  the  mer- 
chants of  France,  with  the  whole  of  those  of  Italy,  are  not  sup- 
posed to  have  equaled  this  one  man  in  the  extent  of  their  com- 
mercial dealings.  As  rich  as  Jacques  Cceur,  became  a  proverb. 
It  was  even  rumored  and  believed  that  he  had  found  the  philoso- 
pher's stone.  And  he  proved  worthy  of  his  wealth  by  giving  it 
noble  uses.  He  raised  three  armies  for  Charles  at  his  own  cost ; 
and  he  repaired  and  re-established,  in  his  office  of  Argentier,  the 
deranged  finances  of  the  kingdom.  But  his  weakness  seems  to 
have  lain  in  the  direction  of  personal  magnificence  and  splendor, 
and  to  this  we  may  trace  his  fall.  He  did  not  allow  sufficiently 
for  the  prejudices  of  his  age,  and  at  last  armed  them  for  his 
ruin.  He  is  described  to  have  far  transcended,  in  his  personal 
attendance  and  equipments,  the  chiefs  of  the  most  illustrious 
families  of  France  ;  and  when  Charles  made  his  triumphal  entry 
into  Rouen,  the  merchant,  Jacques  Cceur,  was  seen  by  the  side 
of  Dunois,  with  arms  and  tunic  precisely  the  same  as  his.  His 
destruction  was  planned  by  a  party  of  the  nobles,  and  an  indict- 
ment of  all  sorts  of  crimes  preferred  against  him  ;  among  them 
the  charge  of  having  poisoned  Agnes  Sorel.  He  narrowly 
escaped  torture  and  death  ;  and  only  this  by  confiscation  of  his 
treasures  (which  his  judges  divided  among  them)  and  perpetual 
banishment.  The  latter  resolved  itself  ultimately  into  a  sort  of 
strict  surveillance  in  a  French  convent,  which  he  at  last  escaped 
by  the  fidelity  of  one  of  his  agents,  who  had  married  his  neice. 
He  was  again  characteristically  engaging  in,  active  pursuits,  and 
beginning  life  anew  as  the  Pope's  captain-general,  on  the  coast 


204  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIEg 


of  Asia  Minor,  when  illness  seized  him  in  the  Island  of  Scio.  He 
left,  in  his  death,  another  example  of  the  world's  treatment  of  its 
greatest  benefactors." 

From  the  memoir,  we  make  a  single  extract  in  regard  to  the 
commercial  enterprise  of  the  great  French  merchant : — 

"  In  the  course  of  twenty  years,  Jacques  Coeur  had  more  com- 
mercial power  than  all  the  rest  of  the  merchants  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean put  together.  Three  hundred  of  his  agents  resided  at 
the  different  ports,  not  only  of  Europe,  but  of  the  East,  and  in 
all  the  nations  contiguous  to  France.  Everywhere  his  vessels 
were  respected,  as  though  he  had  been  a  sovereign  prince  ;  they 
covered  the  seas  wherever  commerce  was  to  be  cultivated,  and 
from  farthest  Asia,  they  brought  back  cloths  of  gold  and  silk, 
furs,  arms,  spices,  and  ingots  of  gold  and  silver,  still  swelling  his 
mighty  stores,  and  filling  Europe  with  surprise  at  his  adventur- 
ous daring,  and  his  unparalleled  perseverance.  Like  his  great 
prototype,  Cosmo  de  Medici,  who,  from  a  simple  merchant, 
became  a  supreme  ruler,  Jacques  Coeur,  the  Medicis  of  Bourges, 
became  illustrous  and  wealthy,  and  sailed  long  in  the  favorable 
breezes  of  fortune,  admired,  envied,  feared,  and  courted  by  all. 

"  His  wealth  gave  rise  to  a  proverb,  long  retained  by  the  citi- 
zens of  his  native  town  :  '  As  rich  as  Jacques  Coeur,'  expressed 
all  that  could  be  conceived  of  prosperity  aud  success.  Popular 
tradition  asserts  that,  so  great  was  the  profusion  of  the  precious 
metals  that  he  possessed,  that  his  horses  were  shod  with  silver  ;  a 
common  reputation,  even  at  the  present  day,  enjoyed  by  persons 
of  singular  wealth.  The  adornment  of  Bourges,  where  he  was 
born,  was  not  one  of  the  least  projects  of  the  great  merchant ; 
and  having,  with  a  large  sum,  purchased  a  considerable  tract  of 
land  in  the  town,  he  began,  in  1443,  to  build  that  magnificent 
mansion  which  still  remains  a  noble  relic  of  his  taste  and  wealth." 


TOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  205 


114. 

IT  was  not  six  o'clock,  yet  I  was  already  pacing  my  room 
with  hasty  and  anxious  strides,  and  my  fellow  lodgers  must  cer- 
tainly have  regretted  my  vicinity,  in  that  I  was  the  indiscreet 
disturber  of  their  morning  repose.  Was  ever  poor  author, 
through  unforseen  circumstances,  betrayed  into  a  more  vexa- 
tious dilemma  than  was  I  at  that  moment,  in  the  free  Hanse 
Town  of  Hamburgh  ?  My  exchequer  was  exhausted,  and  my 
departure  yet  to  be  effected,  with  not  a  red  cent  left  in  my 
pocket.  Mr.  Marr,  my  friendly  host,  is  good  and  kind-hearted, 
and  not  the  man  to  cut  an  unpaid  account  immediately  from 
one's  skin ;  but  the  Prussian  Schellpost  takes  no  passengers 
on  credit,  and  on  the  next  day,  without  fail,  I  must  forth  to 
Berlin.  For  the  twentieth  tune  had  I  rummaged  through  my 
letter-case,  in  the  hope  that  some  shrinking  treasure-certificate, 
some  modest  letter  of  credit,  might  have  crept  into  a  corner, 
but  in  vain  !  Stop  !  what  paper  is  that  ?  It  is  a  letter  which 
a  well-wishing  patron  has  given  me,  and  which  I  have  negli- 
gently omitted  to  present.  The  address  is  quite  simple — "  Herr 
Mohrfeld,  Deich-street."  I  breathed  aloud,  "  Perhaps  this  is 
the  man  from  whom  help  is  to  reach  me."  I  remembered  that 
my  patron  had  described  him  as  the  head  of  a  very  eminent 
mercantile  house,  whose  acquaintance  would  greatly  advantage 
me.  Speedily  did  I  come  to  a  decision — dressed  myself,  and 
with  the  stroke  of  eight  left  the  hotel  for  Deich-street,  where 
I  expected  my  rescuing  angel  to  appear  to  me.  Stop !  here, 
at  the  hop-market,  I  must  pause  a  moment.  Yonder  is  a 
short,  thick-set  man,  in  a  blue  overcoat,  with  badly  combed 
brown  hair,  and  whose  ruddy  face  has  a  blunt  and  taciturn 
expression.  He  has  bought  a  good  fish,  sent  a  porter  away 


206  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


with  it,  and  pursues  his  walk.  He  has  his  hands  crossed  behind 
him — his  eyes  cast  upon  the  ground — and  with  a  low  humming, 
turns  into  the  Deich-street.  Without  his  taking  any  notice  of 
me,  we  strode  together,  and  at  last  both  stood  still  before  the 
same  house.  There  he  recovered  from  his  thoughtful  manner, 
and  looking  steadily  at  me,  asked  in  a  suppressed  tone,  "  Do 
you  wish  to  speak  with  any  one  here  ? "  Yexed  that  so  ordi- 
nary-looking man  should  address  me  with  so  little  ceremony,  I 
answered  with  some  haughtiness,  "  I  have  business  with  the 
house  of  Mohrfeld."  He  smiled,  and  then  said  earnestly,  "  I 
am  Mohrfeld ! "  What  1  and  from  this  man,  who  buys  his 
own  fish,  and  appears  in  a  threadbare  coat,  am  I  to  expect 
help  ?  Is  this  mean-looking  personage  the  only  dependence,  in 
respect  of  his  purse,  of  his  novel-writing  guest?  But  he  was 
the  only  anchor  of  hope  to  which  I  could  cling.  With  light- 
ning haste  I  removed  my  hat,  and  said,  with  a  most  respect- 
ful ah*,  "  Pardon  me  I  I  had  till  now  not  the  honor — I  have" 
— here  I  drew  the  letter  from  my  pocket — "  a  commission  to 
deliver  this  letter."  Herr  Mohrfeld  interrupted  me,  "  Not 
now  ;  by  and  by  I  will  speak  with  you  in  the  counting-room  ; 
you  must,  however,  wait  awhile.  Come" — he  stepped  into  the 
house,  and  I  followed.  In  the  great  hall,  all  was  activity. 
There  were  two  great  scales,  on  which  workmen  were  weighing 
coffee,  as  a  clerk  stood  by  with  his  memorandum  book.  Mr. 
Mohrfeld  looked  on  silently  for  a  few  moments,  and  was  passing 
on,  when  a  laborer  threw  down  a  bag  of  coffee  in  a  manner  to 
burst  it,  and  scatter  the  berries  upon  the  floor.  ' '  What  gross 
carelessness  ! "  tartly  exclaimed  the  merchant ;  and  stooping 
to  collect  the  scattered  coffee,  continued,  "  Gather  it  all  up, 
and  put  it  again  in  the  sack.  Then  have  it  properly  mended, 
and  you,  Mr.  Moller,  see  that  the  bag  is  weighed  afterwards, 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  207 


and  if  there  is  a  loss,  charge  the  amount  to  this  improvident 
man.  It  shall  be  deducted  from  his  week's  pay." 

"  That  is  hard,"  said  the  man.     "  Only  a  little  coffee"— 

"Only  a  little  coffee  1"  answered  the  merchant,  quickly. 
"  He  who  despises  trifles,  is  not  worthy  of  great  things ;  out 
of  eight>and-forty  shillings  is  composed  a  thaler ;  and  to  one 
good  vintage  many  warm  days  are  necessary.  So  !  not  worth 
the  trouble  ?  Negligence  is  a  great  failing,  and  ruinous  to  ordi- 
nary business.  Mr.  Moller,  when  this  man  again,  even  in  the 
smallest  particular,  displays  his  carelessness,  discharge  him  on 
the  spot.  I  make  you  answerable." 

"  Great  God  ! "  thought  I,  "  for  a  handful  of  coffee,  will  he 
deprive  a  man  of  his  bread  ?  How  hard  !  how  cruel !  how  will 
it  go  with  me^" 

A  young  man,  dressed  with  great  elegance,  came  now  out  of 
the  office,  bowed  to  the  merchant,  and  was  about  to  pass  out  of 
the  door,  but  at  a  look  from  bis  employer,  stood  still. 

"  What  an  appearance  you  make,"  said  Mohrfeld,  disdain- 
fully. "  Is  there  to  be  a  ball  in  my  counting-house  ?  and  where 
were  you  yesterday  evening  ?  If  I  am  not  hi  error,  you  were 
curvetting  on  a  palfry  out  of  the  Damn  Door,  and  had  no  time 
to  observe  your  employer,  who  passed  you  on  foot." 

"  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  answered  the  young  man,  turn- 
ing blood-red  in  his  face.  "  I" — 

"  So  good  !"  interrupted  Mohrfeld.  "  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with  that  which  my  people  do  out  of  business  hours,  if  they 
perform  their  duties  punctually.  But  with  you  it  is  different. 
You  have  a  poor  mother  who  suffers  for  necessaries ;  three 
uneducated  brothers;  two  of  whom  I  met  yesterday  barefoot, 
and  that  at  a  tune  of  life  when  they  should  be  in  school.  It 
would  be  more  honor  to  you  to  attend  to  that,  and  to  take 


208  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


care  of  your  brothers,  instead  of  dressing  in  the  latest  fashion, 
and  capering  upon  a  saddle-horse.  Go  to  your  business,  sir." 

The  young  man  became  purple  in  the  face,  withdrew  himself 
backwards  like  a  crab,  and  vanished  through  the  door.  The 
merchant  strode  through  the  store,  and  entered  the  counting- 
room,  where  I  followed  him.  What  a  sight !  a  long  and  rather 
gloomy  hall  presented  itself,  with  numerous  desks,  behind  each 
of  which  stood  a  person  busily  writing  or  reckoning,  and  of 
whom  I  counted  thirty.  In  an  adjoining  room  sat  many  more. 
Not  far  from  the  door  sat  a  rather  elderly  man  at  a  counter, 
and  near  him  stood  several  iron  chests,  and  the  association 
drew  from  me  a  deep  sigh. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Casten,"  said  the  merchant,  as  he  approached 
his  cashier,  "what  news?"  "But  little,"  answered  he,  qui- 
etly. "  There  is  a  demand  for  bills.  We  have,  however, 
nothing  to  spare.  In  Livonia  we  have  nothing,  and  on  Genoa 
and  Venice  we  have  not  more  than  our  three  ships  loading  for 
those  ports  require.  Two  value  on  New  York,  and  one  on 
Havana,  that  will  be  wanted,  and  I  have  notified  them.  Can 
you  use  any  Copenhagen  or  Swedish  paper  at  the  current 
rates?"  "  No  I  there  must  be  as  little  funds  as  possible  locked 
up  hi  paper.  I  shall  need  a  large  cash  balance.  Remember 
that."  He  passed  on,  and  stood  before  a  desk.  "  Were  the 
goods  sent  yesterday  on  board  the  Artemisia,  Mr.  Kohler?" 
he  asked.  "  Are  the  policies  for  the  Pleil  taken  out,  and  has 
Captain  Heysen  got  his  papers?"  "It  is  all  attended  to," 
said  the  clerk.  "  Here  is  the  bill  of  lading  ;  here  the  policy, 
and  the  receipt  of  the  captain."  "  Good  ;  your  punctuality 
pleases  me.  Go  on,  method  is  the  soul  of  business.  Take  care 
of  that  sand,  however.  It  has  a  slovenly  appearance  to  see  it 
so  scattered  as  on  your  desk." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  209 


Mr.  Mohrfeld  had  now  arrived  at  his  desk,  which  was  secluded 
from  the  main  hall  by  a  rail.  He  pointed  me  to  a  chair,  and 
began  to  examine  some  letters  that  had  waited  his  coming.  A 
deep  silence  now  pervaded  the  room,  which  was  broken  only  by 
the  monotonous  scratching  of  many  quills.  No  loud  word  was 
spoken,  and  seldom  a  suppressed  whisper  was  heard.  No  notice 
was  taken  of  me ;  not  a  word  was  addressed  to  me,  nor  was 
a  curious  glance  directed  towards  me.  The  merchant  read 
through  his  letters,  and  called  several  young  men  to  him,  giv- 
ing directions,  but  receiving  no  answers.  "  At  one  o'clock,  all 
must  be  ready  for  signature.  Yon,  Mr.  Becker,  must  take 
care  that  no  more  errors  creep  into  your  French  letters.  You 
are  too  quick,  too  hasty.  Take  example  of  Mr.  Hart — his 
English  letters  are  a  master  correspondence.  Above  all,  I  ob- 
serve lately  in  your  letters  a  worthless  innovation.  You  use  a 
pompous,  verbose  style,  and  employ  three  lines  where  three 
words  are  sufficient.  Abandon  that.  A  flowery  style  is  always 
a  folly,  and  especially  so  in  mercantile  letters  ;  but  it  comes 
from  the  senseless  novels  and  romances  that  you  are  eternally 
reading,  and  which  will  yet  incapacitate  you  for  every  useful 
employment.  I  have  warned  you — take  care  for  the  future." 

This  was  a  brilliant  prospect  I  What  reception  could  a  novel- 
writer  expect  from  a  man  possessed  of -such  views?  At  this 
moment  Mohrfeld  turned  to  me,  and  said  rather  short,  "  Well, 
sir,  about  our  business!''  "At  your  service,"  I  stammered, 
and  reached  him  my  letter ;  but  he  had  not  opened  it  ere  we 
were  again  interrupted.  "  See  there  1  good  morning,  Captain 
Heysen,"  said  the  merchant,  with  animation.  "  You  come, 
probably,  to  take  leave  ;  a  lucky  voyage  to  you,  and  bring 
yourself  and  crew  back  in  good  health.  Pay  good  attention 
to  ship  and  cargo,  and  make  me  no  '  general  average.'  Your 


210  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


wife,  say  you  ?  why,  in  any  circumstances  let  her  apply  to  me 
at  once.  If  you  have  a  good  opportunity,  and  avail  yourself 
skilfully  of  it,  you  may  be  back  by  Christmas.  Well,  adieu, 
Captain,  you  have" — here  he  glanced  at  the  almanac — "no 
time  to  lose.  It  is  now  high  water,  you  may  lose  the  tide,  and 
I  am  not  pleased  to  have  the  ship  anchored  at  Blankenese. 
Lucky  voyage."  The  captain  vanished,  and  another  man  took 
his  place.  "  Good  morning,  Mr.  Flugge,  what  have  you  to 
say?"  asked  the  merchant;  "  I  am  well  pleased  with  that 
last  purchase  of  wood.  You  earned  your  commission  with 
honor.  When  you  have  such  another  lot  on  the  same  terms, 
let  me  know.  My  ships  must  be  employed.  There  are  already 
three  lying  idle.  As  soon  as  the  new  stock  arrives,  let  me 
know.  Adieu."  "I  beg  your  pardon,  sir," — this  was  directed 
to  me — "that  I  keep  you  so  long  waiting,  but  the  current 
business  takes  precedence."  "  Good  morning,  Pilot !  Already 
back.  Is  my  'Hope'  gone  to  sea  safely?"  "All  as  you 
wish,  Mr.  Mohrfeld,"  answered  a  robust  Elbe  pilot.  "  The 
ship  is  a  fast  sailer,  and  not  afraid  of  a  breeze.  Here  is  a 
letter  from  the  captain.  But  I  must  to-day  on  board  another 
vessel.  Perhaps  I  can  take  my  pilotage  with  me?  "That's 
of  course,  Pilot ;  and  for  the  quick  pilotage,  ten  thalers  more. 
Go  to  my  cashier,  he  will  make  it  all  right."  "What  do  you 
want ! "  This  was  addressed  to  a  meagre-looking  little  man, 
with  a  bald  head  and  snuffy  nose,  who,  in  a  threadbare 
black  coat,  and  stooping  posture,  stood  before  the  wealthy 
merchant. 

"I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,"  he  answered,  "I  am  Doctor 
Eck,  from  Frankfort.  I  have  for  a  long  time  had  in  considera- 
tion the  peculiar  procreation  of  mankind,  and  at  last  have  suc- 
ceeded in  the  formation  of  a  brilliant  theory,  that  I  intend  to 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  211 


promulgate  in  a  series  of  lectures ;  and  I  would  therefore 
solicit " — 

"  I  am  sorry,"  interrupted  the  merchant,  "  but  I  am  opposed 
to  all  theories  that  cannot  be  promptly  applied  to  the  concerns 
of  life.  Away  with  your  air-castles,  fog-projects  and  chimeras  ! 
I  am  very  sorry." 

The  poor  doctor  perspired  with  anxiety ;  and  scarcely  able 
to  speak,  he  looked  pitiably  at  the  subscription  list  in  his  hand, 
and  stammered  out  something  of  patrons  and  down-trodden 
sons  of  Minerva ;  but  his  voice  faded  into  an  indistinguishable 
murmur.  The  merchant  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  a 
sarcastic  smile,  then  took  the  list  and  wrote  a  line.  It  must 
have  been  a  very  important  line,  for  the  face  of  the  doctor 
brightened  with  a  heartfelt  laugh  as  he  busied  himself  to  lay 
more  papers  upon  the  desk.  The  merchant  motioned  him  away, 
saying,  "  No  matter  I  It  is  a  pleasure  to  me  when  my  signa- 
ture can  be  of  use  to  a  meritorious  and  learned  man,  even 
if  personally  I  derive  no  profit  from  his  talents.  Your  theory 
and  my  practice  are  very  different ;  an  interchange  of  ideas 
that  are  so  directly  opposed,  leads  only  to  endless  confusion. 
Farewell ! " 

The  doctor  retired,  and  made  room  for  a  man  who  pressed 
close  up,  and  without  further  ceremony  began  :  "  Mr.  Mohrfeld, 
your  '  Fortuna '  is  quite  ready,  and  can  be  launched  at  any 
moment.  I  wish  to  know  what  tune  you  will  appoint  ?  " 

"Monday  morning,  Mr.  Reich,"  answered  the  merchant.  "I 
am  well  pleased  with  your  prompt  and  efficient  mode  of  busi- 
ness. Now,  as  young  beginners  should  be  encouraged,  you  may 
lay  the  keel  of  a  new  ship  on  my  account.  Try  yourself  at 
that.  I  passed  your  yard  yesterday,  and  observed '  the  order 
and  industry  with  which  it  is  conducted.  Persevere  in  that 


212  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


manner.    Well  1  remember  Monday  morning.    Farewell !   Who 
are  you?" 

This  was  addressed  to  a  poorly-clad  woman,  with  pallid  cheeks 
and  eyes  red  with  weeping,  who  now  stood  before  him.  At 
this  nearly  harsh  address  of  the  merchant,  she  looked  anxiously 
up,  and  answered,  "  I  am  the  wife  of  Bodmcr,  the  man  who 
was  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  from  the  loft  and  break  his  leg." 

"  Shocking  !  very  shocking  !  I  am  very  sorry  for  Bodmer  ; 
he  was  an  orderly  man,  and  ever  cheerfully  performed  his  duties. 
But  my  surgeon  visited  him  ;  what  did  he  say  ? " 

"  He  gives  the  best  hope  of  saving  my  husband's  life,  but  it 
will  be  a  tedious  sickness  ;  and  who  knows  if  the  poor  man 
will  ever  again  be  able  to  work  ?  What  then,  shall  we,  with 
our  five  poor  children,  do  ?  " 

"  Have  confidence  in  the  man  in  whose  service  you  have  met 
the  misfortune,"  answered  the  merchant.  "What  the  patient 
needs  of  wine  and  strengthening  food,  shall  be  furnished  from 
my  kitchen.  The  weekly  wages  you  will  receive  regularly  on 
Saturday.  Now  go  home,  and  remember  me  to  your  husband, 
whom  I  will  soon  visit." 

The  woman  through  her  tears  rendered  speechless  thanks,  and 
the  merchant  began  reading  my  letter. 

"Your  letter  has  rather  an  old  date,"  said  he  suddenly  ;  I 
have  long  expected  it.  Your  circumscribed  time  has  probably 
prevented  an  earh'er  call  ?  " 

I  stammered  out  a  lie,  something  about  my  indisposition  to 
disturb  so  active  a  business  man,  and  that  at  the  moment  I  was 
in  great  necessity.  He  did  not  let  me  finish,  but  went  on. 

"  You  are  here  highly  recommended  to  me.  If  I  can  do  any 
thing  for  'you,  speak  freely.  Persons  away  from  home,  fre- 
quently stand  in  need  of  aid." 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  213 


This  was  the  moment  to  speak  of  the  deep  ebb  of  my  purse  ; 
but  oh  1  the  false  shame — the  words  would  not  leave  my  lips. 

"Nothing?"  he  proceeded.  "Well,  on  another  occasion, 
perhaps.  Come,  however,  on  Sunday  to  my  cottage  before  the 
Damn  Door,  and  take  a  spoonful  of  soup  with  me.  Men  of 
business  have  on  week-days  but  small  leisure  to  bestow  on  mere 
conversation." 

Here  was  my  dismissal ;  but  without  money,  however,  I 
could  not  go.  I  was  completely  cleaned  out,  and  must  travel. 
At  this  moment  there  came  to  my  rescue  a  clerk,  who  handed 
between  the  desk  and  myself  a  letter  brought  by  an  express, 
addressed  to  Mr.  Mohrfeld.  It  was  instantly  opened  and  read, 
and  was  probably  of  a  favorable  nature,  as  a  pleasing  smile 
played  round  the  lips  of  the  merchant ;  but  suddenly,  as  if 
betraying  a  weakness,  it  again  vanished,  and  he  laid  the  letter 
with  accustomed  unconcern  on  one  side.  As  he  did  BO,  his 
glance  again  fell  on  me. 

"  Anything  further  to  command,  sir?" 

Now  must  I  speak,  cost  what  it  will.  I  stepped  close  to  his 
chair,  bowed  my  lips  to  his  ear,  and  poured  forth  a  multitude 
of  words,  among  which  the  most  emphatic  where,  "  want  of 
money."  To  an  elegant  construction  of  sentences  at  such  a 
moment  would  even  Demosthenes  have  given  no  thought.  The 
merchant  stared  at  me  with  wondering  eyes,  then  took  my  letter 
in  hand  and  again  read  it  through  with  close  attention  ;  after 
which,  he  wrote  a  line  under  it  and  handed  it  to  me,  saying, 
"  Here,  sir,  have  the  goodness  to  hand  this  to  my  cashier.  I 
shall  depend  on  seeing  you  at  my  table  on  Sunday  ;  for  the 
present  you  will  excuse  me." 

I  bowed  silently,  and  soon  stood  before  the  man  -surrounded 
with  iron  chests.  He  took  the  letter,  and  said,  "yon  have  to 


214  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


receive  one  hundred  marks  courrant.     Will  you  please  give  a 
receipt  ?     Here  is  the  money." 

"  And  here,  sir,  is  your  receipt,"  cried  I  with  a  lightened 
heart,  as  I  thrust  the  fifty-one  thalers,  nineteen  and  two-thirds 
shillings  into  my  pocket,  hurried  out  of  the  office  into  the 
free  air  of  heaven,  and  turned  towards  the  Alster  Hall,  in 
the  elegantly-decorated  rooms  of  which  I  speedily  enjoyed  a 
substantial  breakfast. 

115. 

IN  Prussia,  as  well  as  in  Holland,  captains  in  the  merchant 
service,  of  small  property,  which  generally  consists  of  a  little 
vessel  commanded  by  themselves,  make  the  ship  their  home,  and 
live  there  constantly,  with  their  families,  who  accompany  their 
head  hi  all  his  voyages.  One  of  the  Prussian  captains,  M. 
Hesser,  was  recently  navigating  his  galliot  Minerva,  from 
Konigsberg  to  Riga.  On  board  his  vessel  was  his  young  wife, 
with  three  small  children,  and  his  crew,  composed  of  a  mate  and 
four  sailors.  In  the  Baltic,  during  a  violent  storm  in  the  night, 
while  Hesser  and  his  men  were  on  deck,  the  galliot  was  run  into 
by  the  English  merchant  ship  Star,  Capt.  Robson.  The  shock 
of  the  two  vessels  was  so  great  that  Capt.  Hesser  and  one  of  his 
sailors  were  thrown  against  the  prow  of  the  Star,  to  which  they 
clung,  and  from  whence  they  crawled  on  board  that  ship. 

The  three  other  sailors  fell  into  the  sea  and  disappeared  imme- 
diately, so  that  there  remained  on  the  galliot  only  Mrs.  Hesser, 
her  three  children  and  the  mate — the  later,  unfortunately,  during 
the  accident,  had  met  with  a  severe  fall,  by  which  he  was  so 
seriously  wounded  that  he  was  unable  to  work.  In  this  state  of 
things  Mrs.  Hesser  had  the  courage  to  take  upon  herself  the 
charge  of  navigating  the  ship.  By  turns,  captain,  mate  and 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  215 


sailor,  using  the  little  nautical  knowledge  she  had  been  able  to 
acquire  in  her  former  voyages,  this  intrepid  young  woman 
succeeded,  by  incessant  labor,  for  eighteen  hours,  in  gaining, 
with  her  vessel,  the  port  of  Riga.  The  native  and  foreign  sailors 
at  Riga,  having  learned  the  courageous  conduct  of  Mrs.  Hesser, 
caused  a  medal  to  be  struck  in  her  honor,  and  the  corporation  of 
seamen  at  Riga  presented  her  with  one  thousand  effective  rubles, 
— (four  thousand  francs.)  Capt.  Hesser  and  his  sailors,  who 
were  saved  on  board  the  Star,  were  carried  by  that  vessel  to 
Rostock,  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Mecklenburgh,  whence  they 
arrived  safe  and  sound  at  Riga. 

116. 

THE  astronomer  who  would  accurately  trace  the  wonders  of 
the  firmament,  must  take  his  views  from  an  observatory  that  is 
not  liable  to  be  shaken.  His  stand  should  be  immovable.  No 
outward  passing  influence  should  jar  it,  or  cause  the  least  vibra- 
tion or  tremor.  The  slightest  motion  of  his  observatory  will 
produce  errors  of  immense  magnitude.  The  object  at  which  he 
is  gazing  may  be  thrown  out  of  its  true  position  millions  of  miles 
by  a  hair-breadth  error  at  the  point  of  observation.  All  this  is 
easily  and  generally  understood,  as  it  relates  to  astronomical 
observations. 

But  it  is  not  always  considered  that  an  analogous  rule  applies 
to  every  kind  of  observation  and  knowledge  ;  and  that  in  no  case 
can  we  accurately  judge  of  things,  unless  we  view  them  from  the 
right  stand  point,  as  the  Germans  phrase  it.  Before  we  pro- 
nounce confidently  in  reference  to  any  event  yet  future,  we  must 
be  quite  sure  that  our  observatory  is  firm,  solid,  standing  on  a 
rock — that  it  is  shaken  by  no  wind  of  selfishjnterest,  or  gust  of 
blinded  passion — that  it  is  surrounded  by  no  mist  of  prejudice,  or 


216  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


error — in  short,  that  it  is  the  true  point  from  which  to  see  things 
ae  they  are,  in  their  real  place  and  just  proportions. 

How  often  is  the  mercantile  world  thrown  into  confusion  and 
chaos,  by  disregarding  this  simple  common-sense  principle  !  Mer- 
cantile success,  we  all  know,  depends  very  much  upon  a  sagacious 
calculation  of  the  probabilities  of  the  future.  The  young  mer- 
chant looks  to  the  future  for  that  competence  which  is  the  object 
of  his  labors  ;  and  his  hope  is  realized  in  proportion  as  he  is 
skilful  hi  anticipating  the  phases  and  wants  of  that  future.  The 
sagacious  merchant  infers  from  certain  appearances  of  the  pre- 
sent, that  such  and  such  will  be  the  condition  and  wants  of  the 
coming  season,  and  he  prepares  himself  to  meet  that  condition 
and  those  wants,  and  prosperity  is  the  reward  of  his  foresight 
and  care.  He  judges,  from  information  which  he  has  carefully 
collected,  and  from  appearances  which  he  watchfully  noted, 
that  a  certain  crop  will  be  short,  or  a  particular  description 
of  goods  scarce ;  he  estimates  the  demand,  and  the  prices 
which  a  short  supply  will  occasion  ;  he  takes  care,  in  good  season, 
to  obtain  the  control  of  as  much  of  the  article  to  be  supplied  as 
he  can  dispose  of  ;  and,  this  done,  he  can  coolly  count  his  gains 
weeks  or  months  before  they  are  realized,  with  as  much  con- 
fidence as  if  they  were  already  in  his  hands. 

The  two  principal  conditions  of  success  in  mercantile  calcula- 
tions appear  to  be  a  sound  aud  well-informed  judgment,  and  a 
regulated  and  reasonable  desire  of  gain.  The  inordinate,  grasp- 
ing anxiety  of  wealth,  which  characterizes  many  men,  is,  in  a 
large  proportion  of  cases,  a  passion  fatal  to  then*  success.  It 
blinds  the  judgment,  and  misleads  it  into  visionary  schemes  and 
ruinous  speculations  ;  and  an  ample  experience  shows  that  men 
of  the  coolest,  most  deliberate  habits,  when  they  have  once 
yielded  to  the  passion  for  wealth,  are  no  longer  capable  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  217 


reasoning  wisely.  Of  the  other  qulifications — namely,  correct 
information,  as  a  condition  of  mercantile  success,  it  seems  hardly 
necessary  to  speak.  "  Knowledge  is  power,"  says  the  great  mas- 
ter of  English  philosophy.  Not  less  in  mercantile  life  than  else- 
where is  this  maxim  true.  The  language  of  every  merchant 
should  be,  "give  us  light,"  increase  and  multiply  the  means  of 
information.  What  is  capital,  energy,  enterprise,  sagacity, 
without  accurate  knowledge,  extensive  information  ?  An  ignor- 
ant merchant  may  happen  to  succeed,  even  in  this  day,  but  every 
one  must  see  that  it  is  a  most  improbable  pcradventure. 

A  single  fact  is  worth  a  folio  of  argument,  and  we  have  one 
just  to  the  point — it  is  this  :  that  one  of  the  leading  causes  of 
the  late  financial  crisis  and  panic  in  England,  was  the  want  of 
true  information  respecting  the  amount  of  flour  and  groin 
which  this  country  could  supply.  A  number  of  the  English 
corn  merchants  proceeded  on  the  belief  that  our  surplus  was 
exhausted,  when  such  was  not  the  fact.  They  made  their  con- 
tracts upon  that  false  assumption,  and  were  ruined. 

There  is  no  one  subject  in  which  the  whole  mercantile  com- 
munity have  deeper  interest  than  that  of  the  vast  modern  increase 
of  the  facilities  for  diffusing  and  obtaining  full  and  correct  infor- 
mation on  everything  pertaining  to  trade,  so  that  all  can  enjoy 
its  advantages  ;  and  no  man  neejd  hope  to  compete  successfully 
with  his  neighbor,  who  shuts  himself  out  from  a  participation  in 
these  facilities.  The  time  has  come  when  it  is  no  longer  in  the 
power  of  the  few  to  monopolize  ;  and  every  day  tends  more  and 
more  to  equalize  the  condition  and  advantages  of  business  men, 
and  to  throw  wide  open  to  all,  the  door  to  wealth,  respectability, 
influence,  and  honor.  Xor  is  there  any  necessity  for  the  frequent 
failures  in  the  mercantile  life,  which  have  distinguished  the  past. 
The  young  merchant  who  commences  on  the  broad  and  sound 

10 


218  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


moral  basis  of  integrity,  and  nice  mercantile  honor,  and  who  con- 
ducts his  business  with  intelligence  and  judgment,  and  without 
undue  eagerness  and  haste  to  be  rich,  will  generally  meet  with 
success,  as  he  will  certainly  deserve  it.  It  is  true  this  is  a  day 
of  ardent  competition  ;  but  it  is  not  less  true,  that  it  is  a  day 
when  manly,  honorable  enterprise  buckles  on  its  armor  under 
auspices  the  most  cheering,  and  hopes  the  most  encouraging. 

in. 

MANY  young  and  talented  persons  miss  the  road  to  fortune  by 
the  want  of  humility  and  patience.  They  think  everything  must 
depend  on  " a  good  start,"  and  unless  they  can  make  "a  good 
engagement,"  they  will  remain  out  of  employment  for  weeks  and 
months.  They  miss  three  things — support  for  that  time,  the 
practice  that  keep  talents  improving,  and  the  furnishing  of  the 
best  evidence  that  they  are  willing  to  work. 

A  man  is  far  more  likely  to  be  called  from  an  humble  to  a 
more  advantageous  position,  than  from  idleness  to  the  place  he 
desires.  Even  in  prison  Joseph  made  himself  useful  by  labor, 
and  thus  showed  what  he  was  fitted  for,  and  built  the  ladder  that 
led  him  out  of  obscurity.  But  now  there  are  many  young  men 
who  if  they  cannot  have  "  good  situations"  will  not  do  anything. 
They  forget  that  any  situation  gf  honest  toil  is  good  when  com- 
pared with  idleness  ;  and  that  it  is  better  to  labor  where  they  can 
receive  only  a  sufficiency  for  the  time,  than  to  remain  out  of  em- 
ployment ;  and  besides  the  daily  expense  of  living  thus,  they  are 
in  danger  of  forming  habits  of  indolence  and  ruinous  expenditure. 

The  trouble  with  many  young  men  is  a  foolish  pride  which 
seems  to  say  that  idleness  is  more  honorable  than  work.  They 
have  very  delicate  feelings — it  goes  "  against  their  feelings  "  to  do 
this  and  that,  when  there  is  nothing  whatever  of  immorality  or 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  219 


debasement  connected  with  the  employment.  To  give  an 
instance,  we  will  repeat  a  dialogue  which  took  place  recently. 

A  young  man,  nicely  brushed  up  and  very  genteel,  entered  an 
office,  and  with  a  polite  air  addressed  the  gentleman  there  with, 
"  Sir,  you  want  a  young  man  here,  I  believe  ?" 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Here  are  my  recommendations,"  said  the  young  man  as  he 
handed  a  paper  certifying  that  he  was  worthy  of  confidence,  etc. 

The  gentleman  read  the  paper,  and  looked  up,  remarking, 
"We  should  be  glad  to  do  your  friends  the  compliment  of 
engaging  you,  and  therefore  you  will  please  let  me  say  something 
in  regard  to  fitness." 

"  What  shall  I  be  expected  to  do  ?"  asked  the  young  man. 

"  To  aid  in  the  office  as  opportunity  may  present,  and  to  pay 
notes,  and  collects  drafts,  etc.,"  was  the  answer. 

"  I  don't  think  collecting  drafts  would  agree  with  my  feelings," 
replied  the  young  man. 

"  Well,"  quietly  responded  the  gentleman,  "  I  would  not  ad- 
vise you  to  do  anything  against  your  feelings.  Good  morning." 

Here  it  is  how  they  miss  it.  A  certain  fastidiousness  of  feeling 
is  set  up  where  there  is  nothing  dishonorable,  nothing  that  should 
be  repulsive  to  the  most  conscientious.  What  can  be  less  against 
all  true  and  worthy  feeling  than  the  collection  of  drafts  1  What 
is  there  to  soil  glove  or  fingers,  sensibility  or  conscience  ?  But 
this  is  only  a  specimen  of  the  scores  of  ways  hi  which  "  my 
feelings"  are  brought  into  collision  with  virtuous  labor,  and 
honorable  industry.  What  sphere  in  life  is  there  where  the 
education  and  discipline  of  the  feelings  is  not  of  first  importance  ? 
Early  attention  to  this  would  prevent  a  foolish  fastidiousness 
from  springing  up,  and  it  would  avoid  a  thousand  volcanic  erup- 
tions in  counting-houses  where  feelings  hi  one  member  and 


220  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


another  cross  each  other,  like  the  sea  crossing  into  the  central 
fires  of  the  earth  and  bidding  Vesuvius  to  spout  up  its  eruptions. 
Strength  of  feeling  is  good.  It  is  not  necessarily  an  evil.  It 
is  the  source  of  energy,  promptness,  and  power.  It  aids  quick- 
ness of  thought,  readiness  of  apprehension,  and  concentration  of 
abilities.  But  undisciplined  it  is  injurious.  It  is  constantly 
bringing  a  man  into  painful  contact  unnecessarily  with  his 
fellows  ;  and  it  erects  false  barriers  to  usefulness  and  fortune. 
Strength  of  feeling  belongs  to  all  great  men.  The  calmness  and 
dignity  of  Washington  only  showed  that  divinity  of  principle  that 
ruled  the  storm.  How  perpetually  through  the  struggle  for 
independence  did  things  come  up  "  not  agreeable  to  his  feelings," 
but  he  curbed  and  disciplined  those  feelings,  and  instead  of  per- 
mitting them  to  be  a  wild  horse  to  bear  him  in  seeming  retreat 
from  the  battle-field  of  Freedom,  they  were  as  the  war-horse  on 
which  he  rode  grandly  from  victory  to  victory. 

118. 

IN  the  Merchants'  Magazine,  for  November,  1847,  we  reviewed 
at  length  the  admirable  address  of  Judge  JAMES  HALL,  before 
the  "  Young  Mens7  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  Cincin- 
nati," in  celebration  of  its  eleventh  anniversary,  in  1846  ; 
embodying,  hi  that  article,  all  that  relates  to  the  topic  selected 
by  the  author  for  the  occasion,  viz  :  "The  Dignity  and  Usefulness 
of  Commerce,  as  Illustrated  by  the  History  of  the  Commercial 
Greatness  and  Growth  of  the  West."  At  the  close  of  the 
address,  Judge  Hall  touches  upon  a  very  important  point,  and 
one  of  paramount  importance  to  the  merchant.  It  presents 
itself  in  the  form  of  a  question,  thus :  "  What  should  be  the 
character  of  those  who  act  so  important  a  part  in  the  business 
of  the  country,  who  control  its  resources,  direct  its  energies,  and, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OP   BUSINESS.  221 


in  a  great  degree,  form  the  moral  standard  which  regulates  the 
transactions  of  the  whole  people  ?"  The  mercantile  mind  of  our 
people  is  sufficiently  keen.  But  enough  :  the  learned  judge 
answers  the  question  briefly,  but  pertinently,  as  follows  : — 

"  The  pursuit  of  wealth,  attracting  as  it  does  intellects  of  every 
grade,  includes  among  its  votaries  many  of  the  most  aspiring  and 
most  capable  minds  ;  and  gives  to  them  that  constant  and  healthy 
exercise,  which  is  calculated  to  sharpen  the  faculties  ;  and,  if 
united  with  reading  and  reflection,  produces  a  high  degree  of 
refinement.  The  merchant  should  cultivate  his  mind,  and  acquire 
knowledge  as  an  element  of  power.  Dealing  in  the  products  of 
various  climes,  and  of  all  the  arts,  and  engaged  in  an  intercourse, 
personally  or  by  correspondents,  which  extends  to  all  the  marts 
of  traffic  throughout  the  world,  he  should  be  well  acquainted 
with  the  geography  of  the  globe,  and  with  the  productions, 
resources,  habits,  financial  systems,  and  commercial  usuges  of  all 
nations.  He  should  know  thoroughly  the  composition  and  his- 
tory, the  mode  of  production,  cost,  and  all  other  incidents, 
connected  with  every  article  in  which  he  deals  ;  and  should  be 
versed  especially  in  the  moneys  and  measures,  the  exchanges,  the 
commercial  laws  and  regulations,  of  the  various  places  to  which 
his  business  relations  extend.  This  much  we  insist  upon,  as 
actually  necessary  to  the  respectability  of  the  mercantile  char- 
acter, and  to  enable  the  merchant  to  wield  his  capital  to 
advantage.  But  the  intelligent  merchant  should  asp-Ire  to  some- 
thing more  than  this.  His  position  in  society  demands  that  he 
should  place  himself  upon  an  equality  with  the  most  cultivated  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  As  a  class,  the  merchants  are  the  most  wonlthy 
men  of  our  country.  In  social  intercourse  they  mingle  with  the 
most  refined,  with  those  who  are  highest  in  intellectual  standing, 
and  official  position.  There  is  no  place  in  society,  no  post  in  the 


222  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


government,  from  which  the  merchant  is  excluded.  On  the 
contrary,  his  command  of  money,  and  the  facilities  afforded  by 
his  relations  of  business,  place  him  in  a  prominent  position,  give 
him  the  control  of  the  various  commercial  and  moneyed  institu- 
tions, and  render  him  the  fit  and  active  director  and  agent  in  the 
whole  circle  of  public  charities,  and  in  the  numberless  endow- 
ments for  literary  and  liberal  purposes.  Having  thus  opened  to 
him  a  wide  sphere  of  usefulness,  he  should  enter  upon  it  with  a 
consciousness  of  its  dignity  and  importance,  and  qualify  himself 
for  the  discharge  of  its  various  duties,  by  an  assiduous  and  a 
liberal  cultivation  of  his  mind  and  morals. 

"  The  merchant  should  be  a  patron  of  the  arts,  a  promoter  of 
education,  a  friend  to  literature  and  science,  an  active  agent  in 
all  public  improvements  ;  because  his  habits  of  business,  his 
wealth,  his  connection  with  moneyed  institutions,  and  with  fiscal 
concerns,  enable  him  to  render  efficient  aid  to  enterprises  of 
patriotism  and  benevolence.  He  should  be  forward  in  every 
good  word  and  work,  also,  as  a  means  of  blunting  that  vulgar 
prejudice,  which  supposes  that  the  men  who  possess  or  control 
wealth,  enjoy  exclusive  privileges  ;  and  should  show  a  willingness 
to  pay  liberally  for  the  advantages  of  his  position,  whether  real 
or  imaginary,  by  using  those  advantages  freely  for  public  good. 

"There  is  another  point,  in  regard  to  the  commercial  charac- 
ter, of  great  delicacy,  but  which  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  pass 
untouched,  as  it  is  most  essential  to  the  honor  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  mercantile  class  as  well  as  of  the  community  to  which  they 
belong.  The  most  precious  possession  of  the  merchant  is  his 
credit.  And  here  allow  me  to  draw  a  distinction  :  the  credit  of 
the  merchant  does  not  consist  simply  in  his  wealth,  or  in  his 
ability  to  borrow  money  by  means  of  his  connections,  or  of  the 
securities  he  may  be  able  to  offer.  It  is  a  gross  fallacy  to  sup- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  223 


pose  that  what  is  termed  an  "undoubted  standing,"  requires 
nothing  for  its  support  but  the  possession  of  facilities  for  raising 
money.  The  credit  of  a  merchant  depends  mainly  on  his  charac- 
ter for  integrity,  capacity,  and  industry.  The  true  merchant  is 
a  man  whose  morality  is  as  inflexible  as  the  rules  of  arithmetic  : 
his  honesty  is  as  invariable  as  the  result  of  a  correct  balance- 
sheet.  He  should  be  not  only  honest,  but  strictly  honorable,  so. 
that  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  should  be  unlimited.  Such  a 
man  is  trusted/ not  merely  on  account  of  his  wealth,  but  in  con- 
sideration of  his  personal  character. 

The  commercial  virtues  are  so  essential  to  the  well  being  of  soci- 
ety, that  their  cultivation  should  be  an  object  of  sedulous  care  to  the 
whole  mercantile  body,  who  should  exercise  a  conservative  influ- 
ence by  frowning  upon  every  infraction  of  the  laws  of  fair  trading. 
Punctuality  should  be  insisted  upon  as  an  indispensable  requisite, 
and  no  man  should  be  trusted  or  tolerated,  who  would  forfeit  his 
word  or  violate  his  engagements.  Society  has  a  right  to  demand  of 
all  its  members  the  observance  of  good  faith,  and  it  is  only  by  insist- 
ing on  this  right  that  a  wholesome  public  opinion  is  established. 

Especially  should  the  merchants  of  a  city  like  ours,  endeavor 
to  establish  a  high  tone  of  commercial  character.  They  should 
set  up  a  standard  of  strict  and  elevated  morality,  which  every 
regular  dealer  and  fair  merchant  would  acknowledge  to  be  just, 
and  to  which  all  should  be  required  to  adhere.  They  should 
patronize  those  virtues  which  adorn  the  individual  character, 
which  promote  success  in  business,  while  they  render  its  transac- 
tion safe  and  agreeable,  and  which  are  as  beneficial  as  they  are 
honorable  to  the  community  in  which  they  flourish — industry, 
honesty,  temperance,  and  prudent  economy  ;  while,  by  inflexible 
rules,  and  strict  observances,  they  should  discountenance  fraud, 
deception,  trickery,  and  bad  faith. 


224  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


When  we  speak  of  the  rapid  advancement  of  our  country  to 
its  present  high  state  of  prosperity,  we  are  easily  led  by  national 
vanity  into  the  employment  of  high  sounding  words  which  do  not 
always  lead  us  to  satisfactory  conclusions.  Patriotism,  public 
spirit,  benevolence — liberty,  education,  the  freedom  of  the  press, 
our  liberal  institutions,  the  benign  and  pacific  policy  of  our  govern- 
ment, are  referred  to  as  causes  of  our  national  growth  and  aggran- 
dizement. I  shall  not  dispute  the  happy  influence  of  all  these  prin- 
ciples. But  there  is  one  element  in  the  national  character,  one 
principle  of  action  animating  the  entire  mass  of  our  people,  which 
is  greater  than  any  other  ;  nay,  I  will  be  bold  enough  to  assert, 
more  powerful  than  all  others  united.  Whether  it  be  called  ava- 
rice, or  the  love  of  money,  or  the  desire  of  gam,  or  the  lust  of  wealth, 
or  whether  it  be  softened  to  the  ear  under  the  more  guarded 
terms,  prudence,  natural  affection,  diligence  in  business,  or  the  con- 
scientious improvement  of  time  and  talents — it  is  still  none,y-mak- 
ing  which  constitutes  the  great  business  of  the  majority  of  our  peo- 
ple; it  is  the  use  of  money  which  controls  and  regulates  everything. 

Whether  the  propensity  for  money-getting  is  beneficial  or 
otherwise,  depends  upon  circumstances.  Industry  is  an  admirable 
quality  ;  its  exercise  is  directly  useful  to  the  public  as  well  as  "to 
individual  interests,  and  it  is  accompanied  by  temperance,  pru- 
dence, morality,  and  other  virtues.  But  the  desire  of  wealth,  for 
its  own  sake,  is  far  from  being  a  virtue.  Where  money  is  greedily 
sought,  without  regard  to  the  means  of  acquisition,  and  without 
liberality  in  its  expenditure,  the  passion  which  directs  its  pursuit 
is  base  and  sordid.  The  miser  is  a  wretched  man,  a  worthless 
citizen,  a  dishonor  to  the  dignity  of  human  nature. 

I  am  happy  to  believe  that  the  acquisition  of  wealth  does  not 
necessarily,  nor  as  I  hope  usually,  blunt  the  sensibilities,  nor 
destroy  the  manliness  of  a  generous  character — that  it  is  not 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  225 


always  a  selfish  and  mercenary  occupation.  If  money  be  sought 
with  moderation,  by  honorable  means,  and  with  a  due  regard  to 
the  public  good,  no  employment  affords  exercise  to  higher  or 
nobler  powers  of  mind  and  heart.  And  such  should  be  the  char- 
acter of  the  merchant.  He  should  guard  his  heart  against  the 
seductive  influence  of  money  ;  he  should  carefully  shield  his 
mind  against  the  narrow  precepts  of  avarice.  Money  should  be 
regarded  as  the  agent  and  representative  of  the  good  it  may  be 
made  to  perform — it  should  be  sought  as  an  instrument  of  self- 
defence  against  the  evils  of  poverty  ;  of  parental  love,  enabling 
us  to  provide  for  those  dependent  on  us  ;  of  public  spirit,  in 
affording  the  means  of  promoting  the  public  good. 

118. 

Never  talk  of  your  designs  till  they  have  been  accomplished,  and 
even  then,  the  less  you  say  the  better.  This  is  a  very  important 
caution  for  the  merchant  or  man  of  business.  Some  persons 
are  naturally  so  talkative  that  they  no  sooner  form  a  design 
of  entering  into  a  speculation,  or  following  some  particular 
branch  of  trade  or  commerce,  than  they  take  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity of  acquainting  all  their  friends  with  it.  By  giving  way 
to  this  weakness,  you  put  it  in  the  power  of  others  to  forstall 
you,  and  those  whose  interest  interferes  with  yours,  will  do  all 
they  can  to  disappoint  you  for  their  own  advantage.  In  this 
respect,  the  example  of  GIRARD,  the  Napoleon  of  commerce,  is 
worthy  of  all  imitation.  No  man  ever  heard  him  boast  of  what 
he  would  do.  He  remained  quiet  and  silent  till  the  time  came 
for  action,  and  then  he  struck  the  blow  with  an  unerring  aim 
which  insured  him  success.  As  a  merchant,  he  was  inquisitive, 
active,  prompt,  and  sagacious :  studious  to  learn  all  he  could 
from  others,  and  as  careful  to  impart  nothing  in  return. 

10* 


226  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


119. 

THE  day  was  dark,  the  markets  dull, 
The  'Change'was  thin,  gazettes  were  full 

And  half  the  town  was  breaking ; 
The  countersign  of  cash  was  "  Stop," 
Bankers  and  bankrupts  shut  up  shop  ; 

And  honest  hearts  were  aching. 

When  near  the  'Change  my  fancy  spied 
A  faded  form,  with  hasty  stride, 

Beneath  griefs  burthen  stooping ; 
Her  name  was  Credit,  and  she  said 
Her  father,  Trade,  was  lately  dead, 

Her  mother,  Commerce,  drooping. 

The  smile  that  she  was  wont  to  wear 
Was  withered  by  the  hand  of  care, 

Her  eyes  had  lost  their  lustre ; 
Her  character  was  gone,  she  «aid, 
For  basely  she  had  been  betrayed ; 

And  nobody  would  trust  her. 

That  honest  Industry  had  tried, 
To  gain  fair  Credit  for  his  bride, 

.And  found  the  lady  willing. 
But  ah !  a  fortune-hunter  came, 
And  Speculation  was  his  name  ; 

A  rake  not  worth  a  shilling. 

The  villain  was  on  mischief  bent, 

He  gained  both  dad  and  mam's  consent ; 

And  then  poor  Credit  smarted. 
He  filched  her  fortune  and  her  fame, 
He  fixed  a  blot  upon  her  name, 

And  left  her  broken-hearted. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  227 


While  thus  poor  Credit  seemed  to  sigh, 
Her  cousin,  Confidence,  came  by, 

(Methinks  he  must  be  clever ;) 
For  when  he  whispered  in  her  ear, 
She  check'd  the  sigh,  she  dried  the  tear, 

And  smiled  as  sweet  as  ever. 


120. 

SEVERAL  years  since,  Capt.  Penny,  the  master  of  an  English 
whaling  ship,  conceived  the  project  of  establishing  a  resident 
whale  fishery  on  the  shore  of  Davis's  Straits.  The  idea  orig- 
inated in  the  circumstance  that  the  crew  of  an  American 
whaler,  which  was  wrecked  there,  had  succeeded  hi  killing  during 
their  brief  stay  at  Kumsooka,  some  eight  or  nine  whales.  Cap- 
tain Penny  proposed  that  an  English  commercial  company  under 
a  royal  charter  should  engage  in  the  enterprise  of  forming  the 
resident  fishery.  His  plan,  so  far  as  government  was  concerned, 
fell  through  ;  but  he  was  supported  by  several  commercial  gen- 
tlemen, and  the  Lady  Franklin  and  Sophia,  Arctic  exploring 
ships,  were  purchased  and  fitted  out  in  Aberdeen  for  the  expedi- 
tion last  year.  Both  ships  were  supplied  with  tanks  for  the  oil, 
and  the  necessary  arrangements  were  made  for  encountering  a 
winter's  residence  in  the  Straits,  in  order  to  be  ready  for  the  first 
opportunity  of  getting  at  the  fish  in  the  spring.'  The  ships  sailed 
in  July,  1853,  and  nothing  was  heard  of  them  until  towards  the 
latter  part  of  August,  1854,  when  advices  were  received  in  Eng- 
land stating  that  the  speculation  had  proved  eminently  successful, 
forty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  oil  having  been  procured,  and 
ten  or  twelve  tons  of  bone.  The  Lady  Franklin  has  returned  to 
England  with  a  full  cargo,  at  last  accounts. 


228  MAXIMS.    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


121. 

"  WELL,"  said  Major  Henry,  an  affluent  citizen  of  Auburn,  to 
his  amiable  lady,  oue  morning  after  his  faultless  cup  of  coffee, 
and  his  usual  glance  at  the  morning  news,  "  Mary,  we  will  for 
the  present  trade  with  young  Williams  &  Co.,  in  Walnut  street. 
Please  send  the  servants  there." 

"  What !  leave  Simpson  &  Co.,  where  we  have  traded  so  long 
to  our  entire  satisfaction  ?  What  can  have  occurred  to  offend 
you?" 

"Nothing,  my  dear;  they  are  truly  honorable  men  and 
politely  attentive  to  their  customers." 

"  And  so  respectable,  Major  ;  such  an  old,  well  established 
firm.  Why,  all  the  elite  trade  there,"  said  Mrs.  H. 

"  There  is  no  reason  in  the  world,  Mary,  why  we  should  leave 
them,  but  that  I  have  an  object  in  bestowing  our  patronage  else- 
where." 

"Please  explain  yourself,"  said  she,  "for  you  are  perfectly 
inexplicable  at  present." 

"Well,  my  dear,  Williams  &  Co.  are  worthy  men  just  esta- 
blished in  business,  and  I  suspect  the  sweet  breezes  of  popular 
favor  do  not  blow  any  too  strongly.  Perhaps  we  can  aid  in 
giving  proper  direction  to  the  current." 

"Nonsense!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  H.  with  petulence ;  they  can 
take  care  of  themselves,  as  other  firms  do.  Surely,  we  are 
under  no  obligations  to  exchange  friends  for  strangers  ;  you  are 
capricious." 

"We  are  not  obliged,  in  the  sense  you  use  the  term,"  said  he. 
"Heaven  is  under  no  obligation  to  earth  that  calls  for  the 
bestowal  of  the  daily  and  unceasing  blessings  ever  vouchsafed. 
— But,  Mary,  listen  to  a  chapter  in  my  early  history  that  will 
illustrate  the  question : 


FOB   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  229 


"  My  parents,  you  know,  were  in  limited  circumstances,  and  I 
commenced  life  dependent  on  my  own  exertions.  I  accepted  a 
clerkship  in  a  firm,  with  a  small  salary.  By  conscientious  devo- 
tion to  business,  this  was  gradually  increased,  until,  with  frugal- 
ity, I  was  enabled  to  accumulate  a  sum  that  I  thought  would 
warrant  commencing  for  myself.  I  opened  a  store  hi  Pearl 
street,  with  a  limited  stock  hi  trade,  but  with  large  hopes  for 
the  future.  But  customers  did  not  throng  my  counters.  Day 
after  day  I  spent  wistfully  looking  at  the  crowds  that  hurried 
by,  yet  scarcely  deigning  a  passing  look  within.  It  was  a  new 
arrangement,  and  few  cared  to  patronize  the  novelty.  All  had 
other  places  to  trade. 

"All  this  continued  until  trouble  rose  up  before  me.  Rent, 
and  payment  for  stock  yet  on  my  shelves,  were  coming  due. 
Visions  of  bankruptcy  hovered  before  my  eyes  daily,  and  dreams 
of  ruin  and  disgrace  tortured  me  nightly.  All  the  fruits  of  my 
past  years  of  toil  and  self-denial  would  be  consumed.  I  became 
so  nervous  that  the  entrance  of  a  customer  was  painful  instead 
of  cheering.  I  could  not  meet  my  acquaintances  with  habitual 
cheerfulness,  and  their  friendly  inquiries  concerning  my  business 
were  like  daggers  to  my  sensibility.  I  shall  never  lose  the  taste 
of  that  bitterness  of  feeling  that  swelled  up  from  my  breast,  with 
forced  replies.  But  the  crisis — the  pay  day  came.  Stock  all  on 
hand,  but  no  cash.  With  little  faith  in  success,  but  as  drowning 
men  catch  at  straws,  I  determined  to  state  my  case  to  a  certain 
wealthy  citizen,  well  known  for  his  eccentric  acts  of  benevolence, 
and  request  a  loan.  I  did  so. 

" '  Humph  1  I'll  see  about  that ;  call  again,'  was  his  only 
reply,  and  he  resumed  the  reading  that  my  entrance  interrupted. 

"  I  was  already  forgotten,  thought  I,  as  I  departed  in  no 
very  enviable  state  of  mind. 


230  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  The  next  morning  I  received  a  note  from  a  bank,  stating 
that  the  cashier  had  been  requested  to  notify  me  that  two  thou- 
sand dollars  had  been  deposited  to  my  credit  there.  I  was 
saved,  temporarily,  at  least.  I  well  knew  my  benefactor.  How 
earnest  my  vow  some  day  to  prove  it,  it  is  vain  to  attempt  to 
describe.  I  drew  the  amount,  met  my  obligations  punctually, 
and  established  an  unlimited  credit,  which,  by  the  way,  I  very 
sparingly  used.  Again  I  rejoiced  in  hopes.  But  I  have  yet 
to  tell  you  of  the  greatest  favor  that  worthy  man  conferred 
upon  me. 

"A  few  days  after  the  grant  of  the  timely  loan,  a  carriage 
drove  up  to  the  store,  and  in  the  lady  that  alighted  I  recognized 
with  joy  the  amiable  wife  of  my  benefactor.  She  made  a  large 
bill,  and  I  augured  weh1  from  it.  I  prided  myself  upon  my  taste 
in  selecting  goods,  and  had  some  exquisitely  beautiful  patterns. 
Mrs.  Chedell,  for  that  was  the  lady's  name,  your  very  good 
friend,  Mary,  was  a  fashionable  example,  even  to  the  ton,  in 
those  days,  and  she  took  particular  care  to  associate  our  name 
with  her  purchase. 

"  The  consequence  was,  when  my  next  pay  day  came,  pay 
cash  account  was  hi  such  a  favorable  state  that  I  met  my 
engagements  easily  ;  and  henceforth  the  road  to  my  present 
position  was  natural  and  easy.  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.,  under  Providence,  for  my  fortune,  I  fully  believe.  In  that 
day,  when  good  and  evil  seemed  so  equally  balanced,  favor 
thrown  into  the  financial  scale  decided  the  question.  Since  that 
I  have  sympathized  with  young  aspirants  for  the  favors  of  trade, 
and  extended,  when  I  could,  the  helping  hand.  Now,  my  dear, 
am  I  capricious  ?  " 

The  expressive  countenance  of  his  listener  replied  eloquently 
and  well. 


FOR   MEBCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  231 


At  that  moment  Mr.  Chedell  himself  entered  the  room,  and 
was  warmly  welcomed.  Bat  the  reception  he  met  could  not 
remove  from  his  countenance  marks  of  trouble  plainly  perceptible 
there. ' 

"  Major  Henry,"  said  he,  with  an  effort,  "I  did  you  a  favor 
once.  Have  you  forgotten  it  ?  " 

"Never  !  my  dear  sir,"  said  he  emphatically,  and  smiling  con- 
firmation to  his  word,  while  no  trace  of  discontent  at  the  remain- 
der detracted  from  his  sunny  expression. 

"  Now  I  am  in  trouble,"  exclaimed  Mr.  C.  "  My  sou  is 
seriously  embarrassed  by  the  state  of  the  money  market,  and 
some  heavy  demands  unexpectedly  made  upon  hum  through  the 
imprudence  of  a  foreign  agent.  We  cannot  meet  those  drafts, 
and  accommodation  is  denied  at  the  banks.  Hence  I  came  to 
you." 

"  I  am  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  proving  to  you  how 
grateful  I  am  for  that  old  favor,"  said  the  Major,  proceeding  to 
his  desk  for  the  puqx>se  of  complying  with  his  reqnest.  He 
hastily  attached  his  signature  to  a  blank  check,  which  he 
requested  Mr.  C.  to  fill  with  the  required  amount. 

"  Come  again,"  said  the  kind-hearted  Major  ;  "  come  again  ; 
if  this  be  insufficient,  command  my  utmost  means." 

"  How  short-sighted,"  said  Mr.  C.,  feelingly,  "in  reference  to 
their  true  interest,  are  those  who  neglect  opportunities  of  doing 
good.  I  have  never  yet  performed  a  trivial  act  of  kindness,  in  a 
judicious  way,  that  did  not  eventually  overwhelm  me  with 
returning  benefits." 

"  Then  you  think  all  your  benevolence  good  policy  !  and  the 
disposition  to  do  all  the  good  you  can,  evidence  of  shrewdness 
rather  than  virtue,  do  you  ?  "  said  the  Major,  jokingly. 

Happy-hearted  man.    The  rewards  of  virtue  are  many  and 


232  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


great.  The  lowering  clouds  of  care  that  of  late  hung  so  darkly 
over  the  spirits  of  the  one,  were  suddenly  dispelled  by  the  sun- 
light of  the  other's  gratitude. 

The  world  is  not  all  selfishness — the  usury  of  kindness  not 
always  ingratitude. 

Mrs.  Henry  was  deeply  affected  by  what  she  had  seen  and 
heard,  and  thenceforth  she  needed  no  persuasion  to  induce  her  to 
join  her  husband  in  his  plans  of  charity  and  benevolence. 

Nor  will  any  one  who  reads  aright  the  moral  of  this  tale, 
be  slow  to  follow  in  the  pleasant  life-path  to  which  it  is  a  guide. 

122. 

WE  were  conversing  lately  with  a  gentleman  of  very  extensive 
business  relations,  says  the  Philadelphia  Merchant,  and  found  he 
had  filed  away  all  his  bills  for  twenty  years  in  a  very  methodical 
manner.  Every  one  was  folded  to  the  same  size,  and  then 
indorsed  with  the  name  of  the  person,  the  amount,  what  for,  and 
when  paid,  so  that  at  a  glance  the  story  of  each  bill  was  told. 
It  was  really  amusing  to  see  what  a  combination  of  business 
affairs  was  thus  brought  before  us  by  glancing  from  bill  to  bill 
through  one  of  the  neat  bundles  thus  indorsed.  In  addition  to 
this,  our  friend  had  entered  into  a  book  a  copy  of  those  indorse- 
ments, to  which  he  could  make  reference,  and  from  which  he 
could  select  the  amounts  of  various  bills  more  easily  than  other- 
wise, and  by  which  he  had  a  security  against  the  loss  of  a  bill 
in  any  manner.  How  much  of  trouble  and  loss  of  time  might 
be  prevented  in  many  places  of  business  by  the  presence  of  a 
like  order  and  method  !  It  should  be  imposed  as  an  essential  to 
good  clerkship,  and  the  habit  thus  induced  will  operate  in  other 
matters  where  order  and  method  are  the  essentials  of  good 
management. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS. 


123. 

CITIES  are,  to  the  dwellers  in  the  country,  very  like  what 
lights  at  night  are  to  flies — brilliant  and  attractive,  but  certain 
ruin  They  see  the  blaze  from  a  distance  ;  they  long  to  warm 
themselves  hi  the  genial  glow  ;  they  hear  of  its  manifold  excite- 
ments, and  they  begin  to  despise  the  dull  routine  of  their  inland 
homes.  In  a  little  while,  they  have  disposed  of  what  Ifttle  they 
possessed  in  the  country,  imbibed  perhaps  from  ancestors  whose 
memory  is  a  blessing  to  them,  and  they  hurry  off  to  commence 
a  new  life  in  an  untried  sphere  of  existence.  They  plunge  head- 
long into  all  manner  of  dissipation ;  they  resort  to  desperate 
speculations,  and  even  some  questionable  modes,  to  keep  their 
expenses  ;  and  the  upshot  of  the  experiment  is,  that,  in  a  few 
months,  they  are  bankrupt,  and  what  little  their  families  once 
possessed  is  lost,  along  with  their  respectability  and  reputation. 
All  that  they  have  gamed  is  extravagant  habits  and  tastes, 
which  can  no  more  be  gratified.  This  is  a  frequent  and  melan- 
choly experience.  We  are  led  to  these  remarks  by  reading  the 
following  statement  in  Cist's  Cincinnati  Advertiser  ;  and  a  simi- 
lar statement  might  be  made  of  every  city  in  the  nation  : — 

"  The  avidity  with  which  young  men  crown  those  avocations  in 
life  in  which  there  is  a  chance  of  making  money  with  rapidity, 
or  of  acquiring  political  or  social  distinctions  and  eminence,  is 
the  more  remarkable,  when  it  is  apparent,  on  the  very  surface 
of  the  subject,  that  they  are  venturing  in  a  lottery  in  which 
there  are  many  blanks  to  one  prize.  A  few  acquire  the 
object  of  their  pursuit — the  mass  sink  into  obscurity  and  insig- 
nificance. 

Take,  for  example,  many  pursuits.  It  is  the  experience  and 
observation  of  intelligent  persons  in  our  Eastern  cities,  that 


234  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


there  is  hardly  a  firm  in  existence  now,  which  did  business 
twenty  years  ago  ;  and  that  nine  out  of  ten  in  mercantile  life, 
in  the  long  run,  amidst  the  fluctuations  of  its  pursuits,  are  broke. 

Let  me,  however,  bring  the  subject  nearer  home.  I  had  pre- 
pared a  list  of  the  principal  active  business  men,  who  were  in 
trade  twenty  years  ago,  in  Cincinnati,  of  which  a  brief  extract 
is  all  that  I  have  space  for  in  this  volume.  In  place  of  giving 
names,  I  shall  distinguish  the  firms  by  numbers  : — 

No.  1,  Broke  ;  afterwards  resumed  business  ;  has  since  left 
Cincinnati. 

2,  Broke  ;  resides  now  in  Indiana. 

3,  Broke,  and  now  engaged  hi  collecting  accounts. 

4,  Died. 

5,  Now  captain  of  a  steamboat. 

6,  Left    merchandising    to    put    up    pork,   which    business 
he  also  quit  in  tune  to  save  his  bacon ;   independent  hi  cir- 
cumstances. 

7,  Dead. 

8,  Broke  ;  resides  now  in  St.  Louis. 

9,  A  firm  ;  one  of  the  partners  died,  the  other  out  of  busi- 
ness ;  both  insolvent. 

10,  Partners  ;  both  dead. 

11,  Partners;  broke;    one   now   a  book-keeper,  the  other 
dead. 

12,  Became  embarrassed,  and  swallowed  poison. 

13,  A  firm  ;  broke. 

14,  A  firm  ;  broke  ;  one  of  the  partners  died  a  common  sot, 
the  others  left  the  city. 

15,  A  firm  ;  broke,  and  left  the  city. 

16,  A  firm  ;  all  its  members  out  of  business.     . 

17,  A  firm  ;  senior  partner  dead. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  235 


18,  A  firm  ;  senior  partner  dead,  junior  resides  at  Toledo. 

19,  Is  now  a  clerk,  and  left  Cincinnati,  after  becoming  in- 
temperate. 

20,  A  firm  ;   two  of  the  partners  dead,  one  of  whom  died 
intemperate  ;  the  other  is  now  engaged  in  other  business. 

21,  A  firm  ;  senior  partner  died  intemperate,  junior  now  pas- 
tor of  a  Presbyterian  church. 

22,  Died  of  Madeira  wine. 

23,  do.          do.        do. 

24,  A  firm ;  one  of  the  partners  dead,  the  other  now  hi 
business  in  Pearl-street. 

25,  A  firm  ;  junior  partner  in  business  in  Pearl-street. 

26,  A  firm  ;  broke  ;   one  of  the  partners  in  other  business, 
one  removed  to  New  York,  and  the  third  a  clerk. 

27,  Broke,  and  drowned  himself  in  the  Ohio. 

28,  Broke,  became  intemperate,  and  died" of  delirium  tremens. 

29,  Broke  ;  resides  in  Baltimore. 
30,-  Removed  to  Baltimore. 

31,  A  firm  ;  senior  partner  dead,  the  other  partners  dealing 
in  real  estate. 

32,  Out  of  business,  having  broke  three  times. 

33,  Broke  ;  now  dealing  in  flour. 

34,  Died  of  cholera. 

35,  A  firm  ;  senior  partner  dead,  junior  gone  to  New  Orleans. 

36,  Broke  ;  removed  to  New  Orleans. 
87,  Broke  ;  removed  to  Illinois. 

38,  Broke  ;  removed  to  Missouri. 

My  list  comprehends  some  four  hundred  business  men,  of 
which  the  above  is  a  sample.  I  know  of  but  five  now  in 
business,  who  were  so  twenty  years  since.  Such  is  mercan- 
tile success." 


236  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


124 

IN  another  part  of  this  book  we  gave  an  extract  from  Mr. 
PARKER'S  "  Sermon  of  Merchants,"  touching  the  position  of  the 
Merchant.  From  this  position,  he  proceeds  to  point  out  certain 
peculiar  temptations,  as  follows  : — 

"  One  temptation  is  to  an  extravagant  desire  of  Wealth.  They 
see  that  money  is  Power,  the  most  condensed  and  flexible  form 
thereof.  It  is  always  ready  ;  it  will  turn  any  way.  They  see 
that  it  gives  advantages  to  their  children  which  nothing  else  will 
give.  The  poor  man's  son,  however  well  born,  struggling  for  a 
superior  education,  obtains  his  culture  at  a  monstrous  cost ;  with 
the  sacrifice  of  pleasure,  comfort,  the  joys  of  youth,  often  of  eye- 
sight and  health.  He  must  do  two  men's  work  at  once — learn 
and  teach  at  the  same  time.  He  learns  all  by  his  Soul,  nothing 
from  his  circumstances.  If  he  have  not  an  iron  body  as  well 
as  an  iron  head,  he  dies  in  that  experiment  of  the  cross.  The 
land  is  full  of  poor  men  who  have  attained  a  superior  culture, 
but  carry  a  crippled  body  through  all  their  life.  The  rich  man's 
son  needs  not  that  terrible  trial.  He  learns  from  his  circum- 
stances, not  his  Soul.  The  air  about  him  contains  a  diffused 
element  of  thought.  He  learns  without  knowing  it.  Colleges 
open  their  doors  ;  accomplished  teachers  stand  ready ;  Science 
and  Art,  Music  and  Literature,  come  at  the  rich  man's  call. 
All  the  outward  means  of  educating,  refining,  elevating  a  child, 
are  to  be  had  for  money,  and  for  money  alone. 

"  Then,  too,  Wealth  gives  men  a  social  position,  which  nothing 
else,  save  the  rarest  genius,  can  obtain,  and  which  that  in  the 
majority  of  cases  is  sure  not  to  get.  Many  men  prize  this  social 
rank  above  everything  else,  even  above  Justice  and  a  life 
unstained. 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  287 


"Since  it  thus  gives  Power,  Culture  for  one's  children,  and  a 
distinguished  Social  Position,  Rank  amongst  men,  for  the  man 
and  his  child  after  him,  there  is  a  temptation  to  regard  money  as 
the  great  object  of  life,  not  a  means  but  an  End  ;  the  thing  a 
man  is  to  get  even  at  the  risk  of  getting  nothing  else.  It 
'  answereth  all  things.'  Here  and  there  you  find  a  man  who 
has  got  nothing  else.  Men  say  of  such  an  one,  '  He  is  worth  a 
million  ! '  There  is  a  terrible  sarcasm  in  common  speech,  which 
all  do  not  see.  He  is  '  worth  a  million,'  and  that  is  all  ;  not 
worth  Truth,  Goodness,  Piety  ;  not  worth  a  Man.  However,  I 
must  say,  I  cannot  think  there  are  many  such  amongst  us.  Most 
men,  I  am  told,  have  mainly  gained  wealth  by  skill,  foresight, 
industry,  economy,  by  honorable  pains-taking,  not  by  trick.  Still 
there  is  a  temptation  to  count  wealth  the  object  of  life — the 
thing  to  be  had  if  they  have  nothing  else. 

"The  next  temptation  is  to  think  any  means  justifiable  which 
lead  to  that  end, — the  temptation  to  fraud,  deceit,  to  lying  in  its 
various  forms,  active  and  passive  ;  the  temptation  to  abuse  the 
power  of  this  natural  Strength,  or  acquired  Position,  to  tyranize 
over  the  weak,  to  get  and  not  give  an  equivalent  for  what  they 
get.  If  a  man  get  from  the  world  more  than  he  gives  an 
equivalent  for,  to  that  extent  he  is  a  beggar,  and  gets  charity, 
or  a  thief,  and  steals  ;  at  any  rate,  the  world  is  so  much  the 
poorer  for  him.  The  temptation  to  fraud  of  this  sort,  in  some 
of  its  many  forms,  is  very  great.  I  do  not  believe  that  all  trade 
must  be  gambling  or  trickery  ;  the  Merchant  a  knave,  or  a 
gambler.  I  know  some  men  say  so  ;  but  I  do  not  believe  it.  I 
know  it  is  not  so  now  ;  all  actual  trade,  and  profitable,  too,  is 
not  knavery.  I  know  some  become  rich  by  deceit.  I  cannot 
but  think  these  are  the  exceptions  ;  that  the  most  successful 
have  had  the  average  honesty  and  benevolence,  with  more  than 


238  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


the  average  industry,  foresight,  prudence,  and  skill.  A  man 
foresees  future  wants  of  his  fellows,  and  provides  for  them  ;  sees 
new  resources  hitherto  undeveloped,  anticipates  new  habits  and 
wants  ;  turns  wood,  stone,  iron,  coal,  rivers  and  mountains  to 
human  use,  and  honestly  earns  what  he  takes.  I  am  told  the 
Merchants  of  this  place  rank  high  as  men  of  integrity  aud  honor, 
above  mean  cunning,  but  enterprising,  industrious  and  far-sighted. 
Still,  I  must  admit  the  temptation  of  fraud  is  a  great  one  ;  that 
it  is  often  yielded  to.  Few  go  to  a  great  extreme  of  deceit — 
they  are  known  and  exposed  ;  but  many  to  a  considerable  degree. 
He  that  maketh  haste  to  be  rich  is  seldom  innocent.  Young 
men  say  it  is  hard  to  be  honest,  to  do  by  others  as  you  would 
wish  them  to  do  by  you.  I  know  it  need  not  be  so.  Would  not 
a  reputation  for  uprightness  and  truth  be  a  good  capital  for  any 
man,  old  or  young  ? 

"  This  class  owns  the  machinery  of  society,  in,  great  measure, — 
the  Ships,  Factories,  Houses,  Shops,  Water-Privileges,  and  the 
like.  This  brings  into  their  employment  large  masses  of  work- 
ing-men, with  no  capital  but  Muscles  or  Skill.  The  law  leaves 
the  employed  at  the  employer's  mercy.  Perhaps  this  is  unavoid- 
able. One  wishes  to  sell  his  work  dear,  the  other  to  get  it  cheap 
as  he  can.  It  seems  to  me  no  law  can  regulate  this  matter,  only 
Conscience,  Reason,  the  Christianity  of  the  two  parties.  One 
class  is  strong,  the  other  weak.  In  all  encounters  of  these  two, 
on  the  field  of  battle,  or  in  the  market-place,  we  know  the  result ; 
the  weaker  is  driven  to  the  wall.  When  the  earthen  and  iron 
vessel  strike  together,  we  know  beforehand  which  will  go  to 
pieces.  The  weaker  class  can  seldom  tell  their  tale,  so  their  story 
gets  often  suppressed  in  the  world's  literature,  and  told  only  in 
outbreaks  and  revolutions.  Still,  the  bold  men  who  wrote 
the  Bible,  Old  Testament  and  New,  have  told  truths  on  this 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AXD    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  239 


theme  which  others  dare  not  tell — terrible  words,  which  it 
will  take  ages  of  Christianity  to  expunge  from  the  world's 
memory. 

"  There  is  a  strong  temptation  to  use  one's  power  of  Nature  or 
Position,  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  Weak.  This  may  be  done* 
consciously  or  unconsciously.  There  are  examples  enough  of 
both.  Here  the  Merchant  deals  in  the  labor  of  men.  This  is  a 
legitimate  article  of  traffic,  and  dealing  in  it  is  quite  indispensable 
in  the  present  condition  of  affairs.  In  the  Southern  States,  the 
Merchant,  whether  Producer,  Manufacturer,  or  Trader,  owns 
men  and  deals  in  their  labor,  or  their  bodies.  He  uses  their 
labor,  giving  them  just  enough  of  the  result  of  that  labor  to  keep 
their  bodies  in  the  most  profitable  working  state.  ***** 
Here  it  is  possible  to  do  the  same  thing  :  I  mean,  it  is  possible 
to  employ  men  and  give  them  just  enough  of  the  result  of 
their  labor  to  keep  up  a  miserable  life,  and  yourself  take  all 
the  rest  of  the  result  of  that  labor.  This  may  be  done  con- 
sciously or  otherwise,  but  legally,  without  violence,  and  with- 
out owning  the  person.  This  is  not  Slavery,  though  only  one 
remove  from  it.  This  is  the  Tyranny  of  the  Strong  over 
the  Weak  ;  the  Feudalism  of  money ;  stealing  man's  work, 
and  not  his  person.  The  merchants,  as  a  class,  are  exposed 
to  this  very  temptation.  Sometimes  it  is  yielded  to.  Let  me 
mention  some  extreme  cases';  one  from  abroad,  one  near  at 
home.  In  Belgium  the  average  wages  of  men  in  manufactories 
are  less  than  twenty-seven  cents  a  day.  The  most  skilful  women 
in  that  calling  can  only  earn  twenty  cents  a  day,  and  many  very 
much  less.  In  that  country  almost  every  seventh  man  receives 
assistance  from  the  public  ;  the  mortality  of  that  class,  in  some 
of  the  cities,  is  ten  per  cent  a  year  !  Perhaps  that  is  the  worst 
case  which  you  can  find  on  a  large  scale  even  in  Europe.  How 


240  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


much  better  off  are  many  women  in  Boston,  who  gain  their  bread 
by  the  needle?  yes,  a  large  class  of  women  in  all  our  great 
cities  ?  The  Ministers  of  the  Poor  can  answer  that  ;  your 
Police  can  tell  of  the  direful  crime  to  which  Necessity  sometimes 
•drives  women  whom  honest  labor  cannot  feed  ! 

"  I  know  it  will  be  said,  buy  in  the  cheapest  market  and  sell  in 
the  dearest  ;  get  work  at  the  lowest  wages.  Still  there  is 
another  view  of  the  case,  and  I  am  speaking  to  men  whose 
professed  religion  declares  that  men  are  Brothers,  and  demands 
that  the  Strong  help  the  Weak.  Oppression  of  this  sort  is  one 
fertile  source  of  Pauperism  and  Crime.  How  much  there  is  of 
it  I  know  not,  but  I  think  men  seldom  cry  unless  they  are  hurt. 
When  men  are  gathered  together  in  large  masses,  as  in  the 
manufacturing  towns,  if  there  is  any  oppression  of  this  sort,  it  is 
sure  to  get  told  of,  especially  in  New  England.  But,  when  a 
small  number  is  employed,  and  they  isolated  from  one  another, 
the  case  is  much  harder.  Perhaps  no  class  of  laborers  in  New 
England  is  worse  treated  than  the  hired  help  of  small  pro- 
prietors. 

"  Then,  too,  there  is  a  temptation  to  abuse  their  political  power 
to  the  injury  of  the  nation  ;  to  make  laws  which  seem  good  for 
themselves,  but  are  baneful  to  the  people  ;  to  control  the 
Churches,  so  that  they  shall  not  dare  rebuke  the  actual  Sins  of 
the  Nation,  or  the  Sins  of  trade,  and  so  the  churches  be  made 
apologizers  for  lowness,  practising  infidelity  as  their  sacrament, 
but  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  God.  The  ruling  power  hi 
England  once  published  a  volume  of  Sermons,  as  well  as  a 
Book  of  Prayers,  which  the  clergy  were  commanded  to  preach. 
What  sort  of  a  gospel  got  recommended  therein,  you  may  easily 
guess." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  241 


125. 

As  important  as  financial  solvency  in  a  mercantile  community, 
is  that  strict  integrity  of  purpose  which  guarantees  reliance  in 
the  word,  as  well  as  the  bond  of  the  merchant.  Were  it  neces- 
sary in  all  the  transactions  which  take  place  between  men  of 
business  to  pass  written  guaranties,  legally  constructed  and 
attested  by  witnesses,  trade  would  be  sadly  hampered.  The 
wheels  of  commerce  would  be  clogged,  and  important  time  would 
be  lost  in  gathering  together  the  means  requisite  to  guard  against 
breaches  of  faith.  Indeed,  honor  and  policy  both  dictate  that 
the  word  of  those  with  whom  we  are  often  brought  in  business 
contact  should  be  implicitly  relied  on,  and  that  verbal  assurances 
should  often  be  taken  as  guarantees  as  sacred  as  would  be  legally 
attested  instruments  of  engagement.  In  every  great  commercial 
mart,  this  confidence  happily  obtains,  and  comparatively  few  are 
the  instances  in  which  it  is  signally  abused.  Yet  in  California, 
as  almost  everywhere  else,  there  are  occasional  instances  where 
men,  disregarding  the  most  solemn  pledges,  violate  their  word, 
and  entail  consequent  loss  upon  those  who  had  confided  in  their 
honor. 

The  species  of  breach  of  faith  alluded  to  has  of  late  most 
glaringly  taken  form  in  the  violation  of  verbal  compacts  in  regard 
to  rates  at  which  merchandise  should  be  disposed  of.  A  con- 
signee receives  one  of  a  series  of  cargoes  of  goods,  for  which  he 
is  naturally  anxious  to  find  a  market.  Owing  to  a  variety  of 
causes,  he  alone  may  be  cognizant  of  the  fact  that  other  cargoes 
of  a  similar  character  are  on  the  way  from  the  same  or  similar 
ports,  and  he  alone  may  know  that  the  amount  of  such  goods 
likely  to  come  to  hand  within  a  short  period  is  greater  than  the 
immediate  requirements  of  the  market  demand.  That  he  should 
endeavor  to  dispose  of  his  consignment  as  speedily  as  possible, 

11 


242  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


and  at  prices  as  remunerating  as  possible,  it  will  be  conceded  is 
consistent  with  his  duty  to  his  consignor,  always  providing  that 
he  resort  to  no  unworthy  means  of  accomplishing  his  object. 

Honor  may  not  require  of  him  that  he  should  take  especial 
pains  to  inform  the  business  world  that  he  expects  an  early  glut 
of  the  market,  but  honor  does  require  that  he  should  not  labor  to 
create  an  impression  inconsistent  with  what  he  knows  to  be  true. 
More  especially  does  it  require,  that  after  his  assurances  that  a 
scarcity  is  at  hand,  and  after  he  has  disposed  of  a  portion  of  his 
merchandise  at  prices  below  which  he  has  promised  his  customers 
that  he  will  not  sell  within  a  given  period,  he  should  not  enter 
the  market  at  lower  rates,  and  undersell  those  who  had  reposed 
confidence  in  his  integrity.  It  is  true,  that  by  pursuing  an 
opposite  course,  the  returns  he  may  make  will  prove  more  satis- 
factory to  the  shipper,  and  in  view  of  the  uncertainty  of  law, 
even  should  law  be  resorted  to,  he  may  enjoy  legal  immunity  ; 
but  in  the  estimation  of  those  who  duly  appreciate  mercantile 
integrity,  he  stands  branded  as  one  unworthy  the  name  of  a 
merchant. 

126. 

THE  following  letter  was  written  by  a  distinguished  New  Eng- 
land merchant  to  his  son,  who  is  in  business  in  New  York  city, 
on  the  occasion  of  his  coming  of  age.  The  advice  it  contains 
may  be  read  with  profit  by  a  good  many  young  men  who  are 
in  similiar  circumstances  with  the  gentleman  to  whom  it  was 
written : — 

MY  DEAR  SON  : — Your  letter  of  the  16th,  I  read  with  great 
pleasure.  We  did  not  forget  your  birth-day,  which  ushers  you 
into  manhood.  An  important  event ;  truly  so — not  merely 
because  it  brings  with  it  to  you  legal  rights  and  capacities,  but 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  243 


also  because  twenty-one  attracts  attention,  confidence,  and  expec- 
tations from  friends  and  business  men.  You  are  a  citizen,  to  all 
intents.  Responsibilities  devolve  on  the  man  of  twenty-one,  as 
he  reaches  that  long,  longed  for  bourne.  He  is  expected  to  be,  in 
the  best  sense,  a,  man.  '^When  the  brisk  minor  pants  for  twenty- 
one,"  he  is  not  apt  to  reflect  on,  nay,  he  does  not  conceive  the 
obb'gations  and  responsibilities  that  gather  upon  him.  He  takes 
a  part  in  the  great  business  of  life.  His  moral  obligations — it  is 
not  easy  to  say  how  they  are  affected  by  birthday  of  twenty-one. 
He  is  a  voter,  and  has  new  political  rights ;  and  hence  result 
certain  moral  duties  which  he  is  to  carefully  guard.  Respecting 
your  salary  for  the  future,  I  would  remark  it  ought  to  be  liberal. 
I  think  you  have  served  a  good  apprenticeship.  How  good  a 
business  capacity  you  have  achieved,  it  is  not  for  me  to  say.  My 
opinion  is  decidedly  favorable.  One  remark,  in  this  connection, 
I  cannot  help  making.  There  is  a  habit  of  extravagant  expen- 
diture among  all  classes  of  society  in  New  York,  that  borders  on 
insanity.  It  is  at  war  with  general  health,  morals  and  pros- 
perity. It  is,  indeed,  nearly  allied  to,  if  not  the  fruitful  parent 
of,  the  mighty  frauds,  peculation,  forgeries,  which  are  almost 
daily  uncovered  in  the  great  city.  This  personal  and  social  ex- 
travagance will  soon  lead  to  ruinous  failures  throughout  all 
classes  of  people.  Mark  that  !  It  is  natural  and  expedient  that 
I  should  earnestly  exhort  my  sons  to  beware  of  the  tendencies  of 
the  tunes  in  this  behalf.  I  feel  extremely  desirous  that  they 
should  moderate  their  expenditures.  Wisdom,  prudence  and 
honor  alike  demand  it.  'Tis  honorable  to  acquire  property — by 
honorable  and  honest  means,  however.  I  freely  say,  I  think  my 
sons  in  New  York  are  energetic,  upright  business  men.  Let 
them  go  ahead  thus,  and  rely  on  the  favor  of  a  good  Providence 
for  success. 


244  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


127. 

ADVERTISERS  will  do  well  to  ponder  the  following  sensible 
remarks,  contained  in  a  cheap  little  book,  entitled  "  How  to  get 
money." 

"Whatever  your  occupation  or  calling  may  be,  if  it  needs 
support  from  the  public,  advertise  it  thoroughly  and  efficiently, 
in  some  shape  or  other  that  will  arrest  public  attention.  I  freely 
confess,  that  what  success  I  have  had  in  my  life,  may  be 
attributed  more  to  the  public  press  than  to  nearly  all  other 
causes  combined.  There  may  possibly  be  occupations  that  do 
not  require  advertising  ;  but  I  cannot  well  conceive  what  they 
are.  Men  in  business  will  sometimes  tell  you  they  have  tried 
advertising,  and  that  it  did  not  pay.  This  is  only  when  adver- 
tising is  done  sparingly  and  grudgingly.  Homeopathic  doses  of 
advertising  will  not  pay  perhaps  ;  it  is  like  half  a  portion  ot 
physic,  making  the  patient  sick  but  effecting  nothing.  Adminis- 
ter liberally  and  the  cure  will  be  permanent.  Some  say  they 
cannot  afford  to  advertise.  They  mistake  :  they  cannot  afford 
not  to  advertise.  In  this  country,  where  every  body  reads  the 
newspapers,  it  will  be  seen  that  these  are  the  cheapest  and  best 
media  through  which  persons  can  speak  to  the  public  where  they 
are  to  find  their  customers.  Put  on  the  appearance  of  business, 
and  generally  the  reality  will  follow.  The  farmer  plants  his  seed, 
and  while  he  is  sleeping,  his  corn  and  potatoes  are  growing.  So 
with  advertising.  While  you  are  sleeping,  or  eating,  or  con- 
versing with  one  of  your  customers,  your  advertisement  is  being 
read  by  hundreds  and  thousands  of  persons  who  never  saw  you 
or  heard  of  your  business,  and  never  would,  had  it  not  been  for 
your  advertisement  appearing  in  the  newspapers. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  245 


128. 

THE  late  ITHIEL  TOWN,  a  celebrated  architect  of  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  had  a  very  fine  library  of  expensive  books.  Being 
in  London  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago,  he  saw  a  large 
illustrated  folio  which  he  wished  to  possess,  but  it  was  not  for 
sale.  He,  therefore,  left  a  commission  with  the  late  Mr.  Evans, 
a  book  and  print  seller,  to  procure  the  best  copy  that  turned  up, 
if  it  could  be  had  for  twenty  pounds  sterling.  Some  years 
passed,  during  which  Mr.  Town  renewed  his  commission,  extend- 
ing his  price  to  twenty  or  thirty  guineas.  At  length  Mr.  Evaus 
wrote  to  say  he  had  procured  the  much  coveted  work  at  the 
price  of  four  pounds,  and  sent  it  to  Mr.  Town  at  that  rate.  Mr. 
Evans  knew  very  well  that  Mr.  Town  would  as  willingly  have 
paid  twenty  or  thirty  as  four  pounds,  but  he  was  a  man  of  ster- 
ling integrity.  He  has  been  dead  some  years,  and  his  son 
Edward  succeeded  to  the  business,  and  inherits  the  same  honor- 
able principles  as  his  father.  The  writer  of  this  lately  commis- 
sioned him  to  try  and  procure  a  beautiful  work  after  Sir  Joshua 
Reynold's  if  it  could  be  had  for  five  or  six  pounds.  He  has  just 
received  a  first  impression  on  India  paper  for  two  pounds.  Such 
instances  of  honorable  fair  dealing  deserve  notice,  and  any  gentle- 
man requiring  works  of  art  or  illustrated  books  would  do  well  to 
apply  to  Mr.  Evans,  No.  403  Strand,  London. 

A  few  years  ago  a  gentleman  of  New  York,  having  occasion 
to  change  his  residence,  sent  for  the  late  Mr.  Royal  Gourley,  the 
auctioneer,  to  value  and  purchase  a  lot  of  books.  He  came,  and 
after  inspection,  said  he  thought  they  might  net  about  one 
hundred  dollars  after  paying  commission.  The  gentleman  was 
perfectly  satisfied  ;  Mr.  Gourley  gave  his  check  for  one  hundred 
dollars,  and  the  gentleman  considered  the  matter  settled  ;  but  he 


246  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


was  somewhat  surprised  to  receive  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gourley  in 
about  three  weeks,  saying  the  books  were  sold  and  had  netted 
more  than  his  valuation,  and  as  he  desired  nothing  more  than  his 
commission,  he  had  great  pleasure  to  enclose  his  check  for  fifteen 
dollars.  Surely  such  instances  of  pure  and  upright  integrity 
deserve  mentioning  in  these  times. 

129. 

THERE  is  no  truth  of  human  character  so  potential  for  weal  or 
wo,  as  firmness.  To  the  merchant  it  is  all  important.  Before 
its  irresistible  energy  the  most  formidable  obstacles  become  as 
cobweb  barriers  in  its  path.  Difficulties,  the  terror  of  which 
causes  the  pampered  sons  of  luxury  to  shrink  back  with  dismay, 
provoke  from  the  man  of  lofty  determination  only  a  smile.  The 
whole  history  of  our  race — all  nature,  indeed — teems  with  exam- 
ples to  show  what  wonders  may  be  accomplished  by  resolute  per- 
severance and  patient  toil. 

It  is  related  of  Tamerlane,  the  celebrated  warrior,  the  terror 
of  whose  arms  spread  through  all  the  Eastern  nations,  and 
whom  victory  attended  at  almost  every  step,  that  he  once 
learned  from  an  insect  a  lesson  of  perseverance,  which  had  a 
striking  effect  on  his  future  character  and  success. 

When  closely  pursued  by  his  enemies — as  a  cotemporary  tells 
the  anecdote — he  took  refuge  in  some  old  ruins,  where,  left  to 
his  solitary  musings,  he  espied  an  ant  tugging  and  striving  to  carry 
a  single  grain  of  corn.  His  unavailing  efforts  were  repeated 
sixty-nine  times,  and  at  each  several  time,  so  soon  as  he  reached 
a  certain  point  of  projection,  he  fell  back  with  his  burden, 
unable  to  surmount  it — but  the  seventieth  time  he  bore  away  his 
spoil  in  triumph,  and  left  the  wondering  hero  re-animated  and 
exulting  in  the  hope  of  future  victory. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  247 


How  pregnant  the  lesson  this  incident  conveys  !  How  many 
thousand  instances  there  are  in  which  inglorious  defeat  ends  the 
career  of  the  timid  and  desponding,  when  the  same  tenacity  of 
purpose,  would  crown  it  with  triumphant  success. 

Resolution  is  almost  omnipotent.  Sheridan  was  at  first  timid, 
and  obliged  to  sit  down  in  the  midst  of  a  speech.  Convinced  of, 
and  mortified  at,  the  cause  of  his  failure,  he  said  one  day  to  a 
friend,  "  It  is  in  me,  and  it  shall  come  out."  From  that  moment 
he  rose,  and  shone,  and  triumphed  in  a  consummate  eloquence. 
Here  was  true  and  moral  courage.  And  it  was  well  observed 
by  a  heathen  moralist,  that  it  is  not  because  things  are  difficult 
that  we  dare  not  undertake  them.  Be  then  bold  in  spirit. 
Indulge  no  doubts,  they  are  traitors.  ID  the  practical  pursuit 
of  our  high  aim,  let  us  never  lose  sight  of  it  in  the  slightest 
instance  ;  for  it  is  more  by  a  disregard  of  small  things,  than  by 
opea  and  flagrant  offences,  that  men  come  short  of  excellence. 
Theie  is  always  a  right  and  a  wrong  ;  and  if  you  ever  doubt,  be 
sure  jon  take  not  the  wrong.  Observe  this  rule,  and  every 
experience  will  be  to  you  a  means  of  advancement. 

130. 

PICK  up  that  pin — let  that  account  be  correct  to  a  farthing — 
find  out  vhat  that  ribbon  costs  before  you  say  "you  will  take 
it " — pay  that  half  dune  your  friend  handed  you  to  make  change 
with — in  a  word,  be  economical,  be  accurate,  know  what  you 
are  doing — oe  honest  and  then  be  generous  ;  for  all  you  have  or 
acquire  thus  oelongs  to  you  by  every  rule  of  right,  and  you  may 
put  it  to  any  (rood  use  if  you  acquire  it  justly  and  honestly,  for 
you  have  a  foundation,  a  back  ground  which  will  always  keep 
you  above  the  waves  of  evil.  It  is  not  parsimonious  to  be 
economical.  It  is  not  selfish  to  be  correct  in  your  dealings.  It 


248  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


is  not  small  to  know  the  price  of  articles  you  are  about  to  pur- 
chase, or  to  remember  the  little  debt  you  owe.  What  if  you  do 
meet  Bill  Pride  decked  out  in  a  much  better  suit  than  yours,  the 
price  of  which  he  has  not  learned  from  his  tailor,  and  he  laughs 
at  your  faded  dress  and  old-fashioned  notions  of  honesty  and 
right,  your  day  will  come.  Franklin,  who  from  a  saving  boy, 
walking  the  street  with  a  roll  under  his  arm,  became  a  companion 
for  kings,  says,  "Take  care  of  the  pennies,  and  the  dollars  will 
take  care  of  themselves."  La  Fitte  ;  the  celebrated  French 
banker,  leaving  the  house  to  which  he  had  applied  for  clerkship, 
was  not  too  proud  or  careless  to  pick  up  a  pin.  This  simple  pin 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  immense  wealth.  The  wise  banker  saw 
the  act,  called  him  back,  and  gave  him  employment,  convicted  by 
the  seeming  small  circumstance  of  his  ability  and  honesty.  Be 
just  and  then  be  generous.  Yes,  be  just  always  and  then  you  can 
always  be  generous.  Benevolence  is  a  great  duty,  a  heaven 
given  privilege,  by  which  you '  not  only  benefit  the  object,  but 
feel  a  sensation  of  joy  in  your  own  soul  which  is  worth  more,  far 
more,  than  gain.  But  you  may  not  give  your  neighbor's  goods. 
Your  own  just  earnings  you  should  always  share  with  the 
needy,  but  generosity  can  never  be  measured  by  the  amount  you 
lavish  on  a  fine  dress,  or  that  you  spend  with  your  friends  to 
satisfy  the  requirements  of  vanity  and  folly.  What  f  they  do 
pat  you  on  the  shoulder  ?  They  would  do  as  much  to  any  dog 
that  would  serve  them.  It  is  the  service,  not  yourself,  that  gets 
the  flattery,  or  you  spend  your  money  for  nougtt,  certainly. 
Well,  let  the  girl  say  you  are  small,  rather  thaa  spend  that 
dollar  you  need  for  a  book.  Get  the  book,  if  it  s  a  good  one, 
it  will  tell  you  that  no  girl  worth  having  ever  selected  a  man  for 
a  husband  for  his  long  tailor  and  livery-stable  bill  more  than 
for  his  long  ears. 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  249 


181. 

"  The  hour,  the  appointed  hour, 
But  at  your  post/' 

MANY  persons  who  are  in  the  habit  of  making  visits  of  business 
commit  a  sad  error  in  not  stating  their  object  at  once,  and  in  as 
few  words  as  possible.  They  hesitate,  introduce  some  subject 
altogether  foreign,  occupy  much  precious  time,  and  all  to  little 
purpose.  Instead  of  proceeding  to  the  matter  in  hand  directly, 
they  apologize  for  the  intrusion,  intimate  that  another  time  may 
prove  more  acceptable,  explain  and  prevaricate,  until  at  last  the 
real  object  is  absolutely  forced  from  them.  All  this  is  exceed- 
ingly annoying  to  persons  who  are  constantly  engaged  and  who 
have  no  time  to  waste  upon  mere  prosers.  We  may  mention  the 
case  of  one  individual  who  invariably  states  his  object  in  a  round- 
about way,  and  introduces  at  least  one  other  subject  preparatory 
to  that  which  he  really  desires  to  converse  upon.  He  does  so, 
too,  in  the  politest  manner  ;•  forgetful,  however,  that  time  is 
precious  and  that  there  are  other  people  in  the  world  besides 
himself.  A  visit  strictly  of  business  should  be  brief,  direct,  and 
to  the  purpose.  When,  moreover,  a  comparative  stranger  enters 
a  room  and  finds  two  others  confidentially  engaged,  he  should 
have  the  good  sense  either  to  withdraw  at  once  or  to  ask  for  an 
interview  aside.  It  often  happens,  however,  that  such  intruders 
sit  down  quietly,  with  their  ears  outstretched,  and  thus  they  not 
only  listen,  but,  at  the  first  opportunity,  they  volunteer  their 
opinions  and  advice. 

There  are,  moreover,  certain  periods  of  the  day  in  which  most 
individuals  are  actively  employed.  At  such  seasons,  therefore, 
they  should  not  be  intruded  upon  except  by  ultimate  friends, 
unless  the  necessity  arise?  out  of  a  business  urgency.  Sometime 

11* 


250  MAXIMS,    MORALS  AND   MISCELLANIES 


since  we  observed  an  experienced  and  enterprising  merchant 
passing  rapidly  up  Chestnut  street,  the  time  being  a  few  minutes 
of  three  o'clock.  Just  above  Third  street  he  was  stopped  by 
one  of  the  idlers  of  the  town,  who  commenced  a  silly  conversa- 
tion. The  merchant  manifested  impatience,  but  the  other  seemed 
determined  to  persist.  The  merchant  "stood  it"  for  about  five 
minutes,  and  then  broke  away,  evidently  irritated.  The  fact  is, 
he  was  about  to  take  up  one  or  two  notes  in  bank,  and  the 
interruption  under  the  circumstances  was  quite  annoying.  An 
anecdote  in  point  may  be  mentioned  :  Douglass  Jerrold,  the 
celebrated  writer,  was  one  day  hurrying  through  a  leading  street 
in  London,  evidently  immersed  in  thought,  when  he  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  quidnunc,  who  exclaimed,  "Well,  Jerrold,  what  is 
going  on  to-day  ! "  The  reply  was  quick  and  petulent,  but  pithy 
and  pointed.  "  I  dortt  know,"  said  Jerrold,  "  but  Jam  ! "  and 
on  he  went. 

Another  : — Some  years  since  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Phila- 
delphia, on  passing  up  Walnut  street,  saw  an  intimate  friend 
held  closely  by  the  buttdn  by  an  inveterate  proser,  whose  desig- 
nation we  will  give  for  the  present  as  Mr.  S.  The  lawyer 
immediately  stopped  and  observed  to  his  friend,  "When  you 
have  done  with  Mr.  S.,  I  would  like  a  few  moments  conversation 
with  you."  He  then  fell  back  a  few  steps  and  waited.  The 
effect  was  as  anticipated,  and  the  proser  immediately  took  his 
departure.  The  lawyer  then  stepped  up  to  his  friend  and 
remarked,  "When  you  find  me  in  a  like  dilemma  be  good  enough 
to  afford  me,  the  relief  that  I  have  just  given  you.  Good  day." 
It  should  be  remembered  that  punctuality  in  the  fulfilment  of 
engagements  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  with  men  of 
business ;  and  yet  it  is  quite  difficult  for  them  to  be  punctual 
under  some  of  the  circumstances  that  we  have  described.  A 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  251 


day  or  two  since  a  friend  was  stopped  in  the  street  for  only  five 
minutes  to  hear  a  story  that  turned  out  of  very  little  importance, 
and  yet  he  lost  liis  passage  to  New  York.  He  arrived  at  the 
wharf  just  am  minute  too  late ! 

Another  anecdote  in  point : — In  the  year  1842,  two 
most  eminent  physicians,  had  an  appointment  together  for  the 
purpose  of  consultation.  The  hour  was  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Dr.  R.  arrived  at  the  designated  time,  and,  with 
watch  in  hand,  walked  up  and  down  the  parlor.  Five  minutes 
elapsed  and  Dr.  W.  had  not  yet  made  his  appearance.  At  the 
expiration  of  ten  minutes,  he  came.  Dr.  R.  then  complained 
bitterly,  and  said  in  consequence  of  the  delay  his  entire  business 
for  the  afternoon  had  been  deranged.  Dr.  W.  apologised,  and 
promised  to  do  better  next  time.  The  other  shook  his  head  with 
incredulity,  and  said  that,  unfortunately,  the  case  was  not  the 
first  of  the  kind.  They  then  visited  the  patient  and  made 
another  engagement  for  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Dr.  W. 
was  on  this  occasion  five  minutes  in  advance,  whereas  Dr.  R. 
made  his  appearance  exactly  as  the  clock  was  striking  ten.  The 
other,  as  he  saw  his  approach,  exclaimed  with  exultation,  "  Ah  ! 
Doctor,  who  is  the  punctual  man  this  time  ?  "  "  I  am,"  retorted 
Dr.  R.  with  considerable  spirit.  "I  am  here  at  the  appointed 
time,  neither  before  nor  after,  and  that,  according  to  my  view  of 
the  subject,  is  punctuality.  And  he  was  right. 

Still  another  : — A  leading  lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  now  among 
the  departed,  carried  his  notions  of  punctuality  to  a  very  remark- 
able extent.  At  the  time  designated  for  a  meeting  hi  his  office 
he  would  remain  five  minutes  to  allow  for  any  possible  difference 
in  watches,  and  then,  should  the  other  party  fail  to  appear,  he 
would  invariably  go  out.  At  first  the  plan  was  regarded  as 
novel  and  eccentric  ;  but  soon  the  effect  was  salutary,  for  all  who 


252  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


made  engagements  with  him  knew  that  they  must  be  punctual  or 
were  prepared  to  take  the  consequences.  The  subject  is  one  that 
might  be  followed  up  to  almost  any  extent.  How  many  mem- 
bers of  our  public  bodies  are  in  the  constant  habit  of  keeping 
their  colleagues  waiting,  and  thus  delaying  and  postponing  the 
transaction  of  important  business.  Such  a  course  is  not  only 
discourteous  and  ungentlemanly,  but  is  unjust  and  unfair.  No 
man  has  a  right  wantonly  to  waste  the  time  of  his  neighbor, 
while  the  individual  who  makes  an  engagement  not  intending  to 
fulfil  it,  exhibits  a  sad  want  of  gentlemanly  propriety,  and  is  in 
fact,  guilty  of  a  meanness  as  well  as  an  insult.  . 

132. 

f  THE  good  Merchant  tells  the  Truth  and  thrives  by  that ;  is 
upright  and  downright ;  his  word,  good  as  his  Bible-oath.  He 
pays  for  all  he  takes  ;  though  never  so  rich,  he  owns  no  wicked 
dollar  ;  all  is  openly,  honestly,  manfully  earned,  and  a  full 
equivalent  paid  for  it.  He  owns  money  and  is  worth  a  man. 
He  is  just,  in  business  with  the  strong  ;  charitable,  in  dealing 
with  the  weak.  His  Counting-Room,  or  his  Shop,  is  the  sanc- 
tuary of  fairness,  justice — a  school  of  uprightness,  as  well  as 
thrift.  Industry  and  Honor  go  hand  in  hand  with  him.  He 
gets  rich  by  industry  and  forecast,  not  by  sleight  of  hand  and 
shuffling  his  cards  to  another's  loss.  No  man  becomes  the  poorer 
because  he  is  rich.  He  would  sooner  hurt  himself  than  wrong 
another,  for  he  is  a  man,  not  a  fox.  He  entraps  no  man  with 
lies,  active  or  passive.  His  Honesty  is  better  capital  than  a 
Sharper's  Cunning.  Yet  he  makes  no  more  talk  about  Justice 
and  Honesty,  than  the  Sun  talks  of  light  and  heat ;  they  do  their 
own  talking.  His  profession  of  Religion  is  all  practice.  He 
knows  that  a  good  man  is  just  as  near  Heaven  in  his  shop,  as  in 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  253 


his  church  ;  at  work,  as  at  prayer  ;  so  he  makes  all  work  sacra- 
mental ;  he  communes  with  God  and  Man  in  buying  and  selling 
— communion  in  both  kinds.  He  consecrates  his  week-day  and 
his  work.  Christianity  appears  more  divine  in  this  man's  deeds 
than  in  in  the  holiest  words  of  Apostle  or  Saint.  He  treats 
every  man  as  he  wishes  all  to  treat  him,  and  thinks  no  more  of 
that  than  of  carrying  one  for  every  ten.  It  is  the  rule  of  his  arith- 
metic. You  know  this  man  is  a  Saint,  not  by  his  creed,  but  by 
the  letting  of  his  houses,  his  treatment  of  all  that  depend  on  him. 
He  is  a  Father  to  -defend  the  weak,  not  a  Pirate  to  rob  them. 
He  looks  out  for  the  welfare  of  all  that  he  employs  ;  if  they  are 
his  help,  he  is  theirs  ;  and  as  he  is  the  strongest,  so  the  greater 
help.  His  private  prayer  appears  in  his  public  work  ;  for  in  his 
devotion  he  does  not  apologize  for  his  sin,  but  asking  to  outgrow 
that,  challenges  himself  to  new  Worship  and  Piety.  He  sets  on 
foot  new  enterprises,  which  develop  the  nation's  wealth,  and  help 
others  while  they  help  him.  He  wants  laws  that  take  care  of 
Man's  Rights,  knowing  that  then  he  can  take  care  of  himself 
and  of  his  own,  but  hurt  no  man  by  so  doing.  He  asks  laws  for 
the  weak  ;  not  against  them.  He  would  not  take  vengeance  on 
the  wicked,  but  correct  them.  His  Justice  tastes  of  Charity. 
He  tries  to  remove  the  causes  of  Poverty,  Licentiousness,  of  all 
crime,  and  thinks  that  is  alike  the  duty  of  Church  and  State. 
Ask  not  him  to  make  a  Statesman  a  Party  Man,  or  the  churches 
an  apology  for  his  lowness  ;  he  knows  better — he  calls  that  Infi- 
delity. He  helps  the  weak  help  themselves.  He  is  a  moral 
educator — a  church  of  Christ  gone  into  business — a  Saint  hi 
trade.  The  Catholic  Saint  who  stood  on  a  pillar's  top,  or  shut 
himself  into  a  den  and  fed  on  grass,  is  gone  to  his  place — that 
Christian  Nebuchadnezzar.  He  got  fame  hi  his  day.  No  man 
honors  him  now  ;  nobody  even  imitates  him.  But  the  Saint 


254  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


of  the  nineteenth  century  is  the  Good  Merchant ;  he  is  wisdom 
for  the  foolish,  strength  for  the  weak,  warning  to  the  wicked, 
and  a  blessing  to  all.  Build  him  a  shrine  in  Bank  and  Church, 
in  the  Market  and  the  Exchange,  or  build  it  not :  no  Saint 
stands  higher  than  this  Saint  of  Trade.  There  are  such  men, 
rich  and  poor,  young  and  old  ;  such  men  in  Boston.  I  have 
known  more  than  one  such,  and  far  greater  and  better  than  I 
have  told  of,  for  I  purposely  under-color  this  poor  sketch.  They 
need  no  word  of  mine  for  encouragement  or  sympathy.  Have 
they  not  Christ  and  God  to  aid  and  bless  them  ?  Would  that 
some  word  of  mine  might  stir  the  heart  of  others  to  be  such — of 
you  young  men.  They  stand  there  clean  amid  the  dust  of  com- 
merce and  the  mechanic's  busy  life  ;  they  stand  there  like  great 
square  Pyramids  in  the  desert,  amongst  the  shifting  tents  of  the 
Arabs.  Look  at  them,  ye  young  men,  and  be  healed  of  your 
folly.  Think — it  is  not  the  calling  which  corrupts  the  man,  but 
the  men  the  calling.  The  most  experienced  will  tell  you  so.  I 
know  it  demands  manliness  to  make  a  man,  but  it  is  that  work 

God  sent  you  here  to  do." 

133. 

THERE  is  much  of  enlightened  judgment  in  the  following  quota- 
tion from  the  late  Dr.  CHALMERS,  and  it  is  so  exactly  applicable 
to  England  at  the  present  tune  that  we  copy  it : — "  In  opposition 
to  the  maxim  that  the  spirit  of  enterprise  is  the  soul  of  commer- 
cial prosperity,  do  we  hold  that  it  is  the  excess  of  this  spirit 
beyond  the  moderation  of  the  New  Testament,  which,  pressing  on 
the  natural  boundaries  of  trade,  is  sure  at  length  to  visit  every 
country,  where  it  operates,  with  the  recoil  of  all  these  calamities, 
which,  in  the  shape  of  beggared  capitalists,  and  unemployed 
operatives,  and  dreary  intervals  of  bankruptcy  and  alarm,  are 
observed  to  follow  a  season  of  overdone  speculation." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  255 


134. 

THE  good  merchant  is  scrupulously  just  and  upright  in  all  his 
transactions.  Integrity,  good  faith,  exactness  in  fulfiling  his 
engagements,  are  prominent  and  distinctive  features  in  his  char- 
acter. He  is  a  high-minded  and  honorable  man  ;  he  would  feel 
a  stain  upon  his  good  name  like  a  wound,  and  regards  with  utter 
abhorrence  everything  that  wears  the  appearance  of  meanness  or 
duplicity.  Rnowning  that  credit  is  the  soul  of  business,  he  is 
anxious  to  sustain  the  integrity  of  the  mercantile  character. 
Accordingly,  his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  He  stands  to  his 
bargain,  and  is  faithful  to  his  contract.  He  is  like  the  good  man 
described  by  the  Psalmist, 

"  Who  to  his  plighted  vows  and  trust 

Hath  ever  firmly  stood ; 
And  though  he  promise  to  his  loss, 

He  makes  his  promise  good." 

He  would  rather  at  any  time  relinquish  something  of  his  lawful 
rights,  than  engage  in  an  irritating  dispute.  He  would  rather 
be  the  object  than  the  agent  in  a  dishonorable  or  fraudulent 
transaction.  When  one  told  old  Bishop  Latimer  that  the  cutler 
had  cozened  him  in  making  him  pay  two  pence  for  a  knife  not 
worth  a  penny,  "No,"  said  Latimer,  "he  cozened  not  me,  but 
his  own  conscience." 

The  good  merchant  is  not  in  haste  to  be  rich,  observing  that 
they  who  are  so,  are  apt  to  "fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare," 
and  often  make  shipwreck  of  their  honor  and  virtue.  He  pursues 
commerce  as  his  chosen  calling,  his  regular  employment.  He 
expects  to  continue  in  it  long,  perhaps  all  his  days,  and  is  there- 
fore content  to  make  small  profits  and  accumulate  slowly.  When 


256 


he  first  entered  into  business,  he  was  determined  not  to  be  a 
drudge,  nor  be  chained  to  the  desk  like  a  galley-slave,  nor  make 
his  counting-room  his  home.  He  jecollects  that  he  IK  not  merely 
a  merchant,  but  a  man  ;  and  that  he  has  a  mind  to  improve,  a 
heart  to  cultivate,  and  a  character  to  form.  He  is  therefore 
resolved  to  have  time  to  develop  and  store  his  intellect,  to  exer- 
cise his  social  affections,  and  to  enjoy  in  moderation  the  innocent 
and  rational  pleasures  of  life.  He  accordingly  sets  apart  and 
consecrates  a  portion  of  his  time,  his  evenings  at  least,  to  be 
spent  at  home,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family.  He  will  not,  on.  any 
account,  deny  himself  this  relaxation  ;  he  will  not,  for  any  con- 
sideration, rob  himself  of  this  source  of  improvement  and  hap- 
piness. He  is  willing,  if  need  be,  to  labor  more  years  in  order  to 
obtain  the  desired  amount  of  wealth,  provided  he  can  improve 
himself  in  the  mean  tune,  and  enjoy  h'fe  as  he  goes  along. 

The  good  merchant,  though  an  enterprising  man,  and  willing 
to  run  some  risks,  knowing  this  to  be  essential  to  success  in  com- 
mercial adventure,  yet  is  not  willing  to  risk  everything,  nor  put 
all  on  the  hazard  of  a  single  throw.  He  feels  that  he  has  no  right 
to  do  this — that  it  is  morally  wrong  thus  to  put  in  jeopardy  his 
own  peace  and  the  comfort  and  prospects  of  his  family.  Of 
course  he  engages  in  no  wild  and  visionary  schemes,  the  results 
of  which  are  altogether  uncertain,  being  based  upon  unreasonable 
expectations  and  improbable  suppositions.  He  is  particularly 
careful  to  embark  in  no  speculation  out  of  his  regular  line  of 
business,  and  with  the  details  of  which  he"  is  not  familiar.  He  is 
aware,  that  although  he  knows  all  about  the  cost  of  a  ship,  and 
can  determine  the  quality  and  estimate  the  value  of  a  bale  of 
cotton,  he  is  not  a  good  judge  of  the  worth  of  wild  lands,  having 
had  no  experience  therein.  Accordingly,  he  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  any  bargains  of  this  sort,  however  promising  they  may 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  257 


appear.  He  will  not  take  a  leap  in  the  dark,  nor  purchase  upon 
the  representations  of  others,  who  may  be  interested  in  the  sale  ; 
fearing  lest  what  is  described  to  him  as  a  well-timbered  township 
may  turn  out  to  be  a  barren  waste,  and  what  appears,  on  paper, 
a  level  and  well-watered  district,  may  be  found,  on  inspection,  a 
steep  and  stony  mountain,  of  no  value  whatever.  He  therefore 
deems  it  safest  for  him  to  keep  clear  of  these  grand  speculations, 
a,nd  to  attend,  quietly  and  regularly,  to  his  own  business.  Above 
all,  he  makes  it  a  matter  of  conscience  not  to  risk  in  hazardous 
enterprises  the  property  of  others  intrusted  to  his  keeping. 

The  good  merchant,  having  thus  acquired  a  competency,  and 
perhaps  amassed  a  fortune,  is  liberal  in  dispensing  his  wealth. 

At  the  outset,  he  is  careful  to  indulge  in  no  extravagance,  and 
to  live  within  his  means,  the  neglect  of  which  precaution  he  finds 
involves  so  many  in  failure  and  ruin.  Simple  in  his  manners,  and 
unostentatious  in  his  habits  of  life,  he  abstains  from  all  frivolous 
and  foolish  expenditures.  At  the  same  tune,  he  is  not  nigardly 
or  mean.  On  the  contrary,  he  is  liberal  in  the  whole  arrange- 
ment of  his  household,  where  everything  is  for  use  and  comfort, 
and  nothing  for  ostentation  and  display.  Whatever  will  contrib- 
ute to  the  improvement  and  welfare  of  his  family,  or  whatever 
will  gratify  their  innocent  tastes,  be  it  books,  or  engravings,  or 
pictures,  he  obtains,  if  within  his  means,  though  it  cost  much  ; 
knowing  that  at  the  same  time  he  may  foster  the  genius  and 
reward  the  labors  of  our  native  authors  and  artists,  an  estimable 
class  of  men,  whose  works  reflect  honor  upon  their  country,  and 
who  consequently  merit  the  patronage  of  the  community.  But 
whatever  is  intended  for  mere  parade  and  vain  show,  he  will  have 
none  of,  though  it  cost  nothing.  He  thinks  it  wise  and  good 
economy  to  spend  a  great  deal  of  money,  if  he  can  afford  it,  to 
render  home  attractive,  and  to  make  his  children  wise,  virtuous, 


258  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


and  happy.  Above  all,  he  never  grudges  what  is  paid  to  the 
faithful  schoolmaster  for  their  intellectual  and  moral  training  ; 
for  a  good  education  he  deems  above  all  price. 

Having  thus  liberally  provided  for  all  the  wants  of  his  house- 
hold, the  good  merchant  remembers  and  cares  for  all  who  are 
related  to  him,  and  who  may  in  any  way  stand  in  need  of  his  aid. 
And  this  aid  is  administered  in  the  most  kind  and  delicate  man- 
ner. He  does  not  wait  to  be  solicited  ;  he  will  not  stop  to  be 
thanked.  He  anticipates  their  wishes,  and  by  a  secret  and  silent 
bounty  removes  the  painful  sense  of  dependence  and  obligation. 
He  feels  it  a  pleasure,  as  well  as  a  duty,  to  help  them  ;  he  claims 
it  as  his  privilege  to  do  good  unto  his  brethren.  He  would  feel 
ashamed  to  have  his  needy  relatives  relieved  by  public  charity  or 
private  alms. 

• 

But  our  good  merchant  feels  that  he  has  duties,  not  only  to 
his  immediate  relatives  and  friends,  but  to  a  larger  family,  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  deepily  interested  in  its 
virtue  and  happiness,  and  feels  bound  to  contribute  his  full  share 
to  the  establishment  and  support  of  all  good  institutions,  particu- 
larly the  institutions  of  learning,  humanity,  and  religion.  He  is 
led  to  this  by  the  expansive  and  liberalizing  spirit  of  his  calling. 
It  is,  unfortunately,  the  tendency  of  some  occupations  to  narrow 
the  mind  and  contract  the  heart.  The  mere  division  of  labor, 
incident  to,  and  inseparable  from,  many  mechanical  and  manu- 
facturing pursuits,  though  important  and  beneficial  in  other 
respects,  yet  serves  to  cramp  and  dwarf  the  intellect.  The  man 
who  spends  all  his  days  in  making  the  heads  of  pins,  thinks  of 
nothing  else,  and  is  fit  for  nothing  else.  Commercial  pursuits, 
on  the  other  hand,  being  so  various,  extensive  and  complicate, 
tend  to  enlarge  the  mind,  and  banish  narrow  and  selfish  feelings. 
The  merchant  looks  abroad  over  the  world,  puts  a  girdle  round 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  259 


the  earth,  has  communications  with  all  climes  and  all  nations, 
and  is  thus  led  to  take  large  and  liberal  views  of  all  things.  The 
wealth  which  he  has  acquired  easily  and  rapidly,  he  is  conse- 
quently disposed  to  spend  freely  and  munificently.  It  has  been 
beautifully  said  of  Roscoe,  the  distinguished  Liverpool  merchant, 
"Wherever  you  go,  you  perceive  traces  of  his  foot-steps  in  all 
that  is  elegant  and  liberal.  He  found  the  tide  of  wealth  flowing 
merely  in  the  channels  of  traffic  ;  he  has  diverted  from  it  invigor- 
ating rills  to  refresh  the  gardens  of  literature.  The  noble  insti- 
tutions for  literary  and  scientific  purposes,  which  reflect  such 
credit  on  that  city,  have  mostly  been  originated,  and  have  all 
been  effectually  promoted,  by  him."  In  like  manner,  our  good 
merchant  encourages  learning,  and  patronises  learned  men.  He 
is  particularly  liberal  in  endowing  the  higher  seats  of  education, 
whence  flow  the  streams  that  make  glad  the  cities  and  churches 
of  our  God. 

The  good  merchant  is,  likewise,  a  munificent  benefactor  to 
all  institutions  which  have  for  their  object  the  alleviation  of 
human  wretchedness,  and  the  cure  of  the  thousand  ills  which  flesh 
is  heir  to.  He  lends,  too,  a  substantial  support  to  the  institu- 
tions of  religion.  He  feels  the  need  of  them  himself,  and  he 
understands  their  unspeakable  importance  to  the  peace,  good 
order,  and  virtue  of  society.  He  thinks  that  he  sleeps  sounder, 
and  that  his  property  is  more  secure,  in  a  community  where  the 
sanctions  of  religion  are  superadded  to  the  penalties  of  the  law  ; 
where  the  stated  inculcation  of  religious  principles  and  sentiments 
diffuses  a  healthy  moral  atmosphere,  which,  though  unseen,  presses 
like  the  weight  of  the  surrounding  air,  upon  every  part  of  the 
body  politic,  and  keeps  it  in  its  place.  Accordingly,  he  contrib- 
utes cheerfully  and  liberally  to  the  support  of  public  worship, 
and,  moreover,  as  Fuller  says  of  the  good  parishioner,  "  he  is 


260  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


bountiful  in  contributing  to  the  repair  of  God's  house,  conceiving 
it  fitting  that  such  sacred  places  should  be  handsomely  and 
decently  maintained." 

Such  we  conceive  to  be  the  character  of  the  good  merchant. 
It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  by  some  that  the  character  is  a 
visionary  one ;  and  that,  amidst  the  competitions  of  trade,  the 
temptations  to  unlawful  gain,  the  eager  desire  of  accumulating, 
and  the  natural  unwillingness  to  part  with  what  has  been  acquired 
with  much  labor  and  pains,  there  can  be  no  place  for  the  high- 
minded  and  generous  virtues  which  we  have  described.  We 
might  have  thought  so  too,  if  we  had  never  seen  them  exhibited 
in  actual  life.  The  portrait  which  we  have  attempted  to  draw 
is  not  a  fancy  sketch,  but  a  transcript  from  nature  and  reality. 

135. 

"  I  WISH  I  had  his  money  !"  said  a  young,  hearty-looking  man, 
as  a  millionaire  passed  him  in  the  street.  And  so  has  wished  many 
a  youth  before  him,  who  devotes  too  much  time  to  wishing,  that 
too  little  is  left  for  working.  But  never  does  one  of  these  draw  a 
comparison  between  their  several  fortunes.  The  rich  man's  money 
looms  up  like  a  balloon  before  them,  hiding  uncounted  cares  and 
anxities,  from  which  they  are  free  :  keeping  out  of  sight  thos*e 
bodily  ills  that  luxury  breeds,  and  all  the  mental  horrors  of  ennui 
and  satiety  ;  the  fear  of  death  that  wealth  fosters,  the  jealously 
of  life  and  love  from  which  it  is  inseparable.  Let  none  wish  for 
unearned  gold.  The  sweat  by  which  'tis  gathered  is  the  only 
sweet  by  which  it  is  preserved  for  enjoyment,  for  in  too  literal  a 
sense  is  it  true,  that  "  'tis  easier  for  a  camel  to  pass  through  the 
eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven." 

Wish  for  no  man's  money. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  261 


The  health,  and  strength,  and  freshness,  and  sweet  sleep  of 
youth  are  yours.  Young  Love,  by  day  and  night,  encircles  you. 
Hearts  unsoiled  by  the  deep  sin  of  covetousness,  beat  fondly  with 
your  own.  None — ghout-like — listen  for  the  death-tick  in  your 
chamber  ;  your  shoes  have  value  in  men's  eyes — only  when  you 
tread  in  them.  The  smiles  no  wealth  can  purchase  greet  you — 
living  ;  and  tears  that  rarely  drop  on  rose-wood  coffins,  will  fall 
from  pitying  eyes  upon  you — dying.  Be  wise  in  being  content 
with  competency.  You  have,  to  eat,  to  drink,  to  wear,  enough  ? 
then  have  you  all  the  rich  man  hath.  What  though  he  fares 
more  sumptuously  ?  He  shortens  life — increases  pains  and  aches, 
impairs  his  health  thereby.  What  if  his  raiments  be  more 
costly  ?  God  loves  him  none  the  more,  and  man's  respect  in  such 
regard  comes  ever  mingled  with  his  envy. 

Nature  is  yours  hi  all  her  glory  :  her  ever  varying  and  forever 
beautiful  face  smiles  Peace  upon  you.  Her  hills  and  vallies ; 
fields  and  flowers  ;  and  rocks,  and  streams,  and  holy  places — 
know  no  desecration  in  the  step  of  Poverty  ;  but  welcome  ever 
to  their  wealth  of  beauty — Rich  and  Poor  alike. 

Be  content !  The  robin  chirps  as  gaily  as  the  gorgeous  bird 
of  Paradise.  Less  gaudy  is  his  plumage,  less  splendid — his  sur- 
roundings. Yet  no  joy  that  cheers  the  Eastern  beauty,  but  comes 
upon  his  barren  hills  to  bless  the  nest  that  Robin  builds.  His 
flight's  as  strong,  his  note  as  gay  ;  and  in,  his  humble  home,  the 
light  of  happiness  shines  all  as  bright,  because  no  cloud  of  envy 
duns  it.  Let  us  then,  labor  and  be  strong — in  the  best  use  of 
that  we  have  ;  wasting  no  golden  hours  in  idle  wishes  for  things 
that  burthen  those  who  own  them,  and  could  not  bless  us  if  we 
had  them,  as  the  gifts  already  bestowed  by  a  Wisdom  that  never 
errs.  Being  content,  the  poorest  man  is  rich  :  while  he  who 
counts  his  millions,  hath  little  joy  if  he  be  otherwise. 


262  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AXD    MISCELLANIES 


.      136. 

"  OWE  no  man  anything,"  was  the  injunction  of  a  Christian 
Apostle,  whose  lessons  were  seldom  if  ever  unworthy  of  atten- 
tion. If  we  were  to  express  the  sentiment,  we  should  prefer  the 
motto  of  John  Randolph,  "  pay  as  you  go."  The  politician  com- 
passed the  idea  better  than  the  Apostle.  Owe  men  we  must,  in 
all  the  courtesies  and  kindnesses  which  belong  to  and  grace 
humanity  ;  it  is  a  debt  collateral  with  our  being — an  obligation 
of  our  nature  ;  therefore  the  Apostle  was  not  definite  enough  ; 
but  Randolph  hit  the  mark  when  he  confined  his  maxim  to  debts 
pecuniary,  which  men,  under  the  present  order  of  things,  are 
liable  to  incur.  He  touched  with  a  true  and  noble  philosophy 
one  of  the  commonest  and  greatest  of  society  evils. 

We  take  it  for  granted  that,  as  a  general  rule,  debts  pecuniary 
are  contracted  to  be  paid,  sooner  or  later.  As  a  general  rule, 
their  burthen  is  least  the  sooner  they  are  paid.  Interest,  usury, 
dependence,  law-suits,  and  costs  of  all  kinds  that  hang  over 
standing  and  litigated  debts  add,  if  we  could  but  get  at  their 
total  for  a  single  year  in  this  country,  millions  of  dollars  to  the 
original  obligations.  Friendships  are  broken  over  debts  ;  forg- 
eries and  murders  are  committed  on  their  account ;  and  however 
considered,  they  are  a  source  of  cost,  annoyance  and  evil — and 
that  continually.  They  break  in  everywhere  upon  the  harmoni- 
ous relations  of  individuals  and  society  ;  they  blunt  sensitiveness 
to  personal  independence  ;  and,  in  no  respect  that  we  can 
fathom,  do  they  advance  the  general  well-being. 

Well,  as  debts  are  incurred  to  be  paid,  and  as  the  saving  all 
lies  on  the  side  of  the  earliest  payment,  why  not  manage  to  pay 
as  we  go,  and  thus  avoid  all  debts,  duns,  broken  friendships, 
writs,  constables,  sheriffs  and  court  costs.  We  buy  this  or  that, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  263 


of  A.  B.  or  C.,  and  we  propose  to  pay  him  in  a  week,  a  month, 
three  months,  and  so  on,  the  common  rule  of  credit  not  running 
beyond  six  months — for  which  credit  we  have  to  pay  advance 
prices  and  interest — why  not,  even  at  some  brave  sacrifice,  con- 
trive to  get  so  far  the  start  of  custom  as  to  pass  by  this  per- 
petual credit  season,  and  from  that  point  beginning  with  the 
world  anew  and  even,  keep  even  by  paying  as  we  go.  It  would 
be  infinitely  cheaper,  better  and  more  independent  for  us  all.  If 
we  can  ever  pay,  why  not  at  once — now  ?  Will  it  be  easier 
when  interest  is  added  to  principal  ? 

The  rich  have  no  excuse  for  not  paying  as  they  go,  though,  td 
their  shame  be  it  said,  they  are  oftenest  the  ones  to  decree 
misery  and  ruin  by  the  credit  they  use — or  rather,  abuse,  in 
their  business  intercourse  with  the  world.  They,  by  withhold- 
ing the  honest  dues  of  the  laborer,  the  mechanic,  the  merchant 
and  the  professional  man,  all  poor  comparatively,  force  these 
classes  into  indebtedness  until  communities  become  a  tangled 
net,  whose  threads  of  affiliation  are  standing  accounts,  notes, 
bonds  and  mortgages,  suit  at  law,  judgments  and  executions. 
If  those  who  are  eminently  able  to  pay  as  they  go,  were  to  be 
just  and  pay  thus,  the  credit  system  which  now  makes  One-half 
of  society  dependents  and  slaves,  would  be  mainly  swept  away. 
The  middle  man  and  the  poor  man  are  driven  to  the  wall  by  the 
system,  they  can  be  pushed  and  pursued  under  obligation,  with 
impunity  ;  but  your  man  of  means,  your  rich  man,  who  dares 
to  remind  him  of  a  debt  ? — he  "  will  pay  when  he  gets  ready." 

No  one  who  observes  and  reflects  on  this  subject,  can  deny 
the  truth  of  the  picture  we  have  drawn.  The  evils  of  the  credit- 
system,  which  now  pervades  every  department  of  business  and 
ah1  the  trade  intercourse  of  society,  are  great  and  overwhelming. 
The  poorer  classes  most  especially  feel  them  so.  The  mechanic, 


264  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


the  laborer,  and  the  tradesman,  with  little  or  no  capital — as  is 
generally  the  case — how  can  they  succeed  in  enterprise,  or  in 
living,  even,  if  they  are  not  paid  as  they  go.  If  they  are  paid, 
they,  too,  can  pay.  The  reform,  therefore,  must  begin,  not  like 
most  others  at  the  bottom  of  the  scale,  but  at  the  top — with  the 
rich.  Let  them  incur  no  debts  to  those  whom  they  employ  or 
with  whom  they  trade,  and  all  classes  below  them  in  means,  can 
be  free  of  debt.  Debts  are  curses,  and  among  the  greatest  under 
which  society  groans — the  greatest  under  which  nations  suffer. 

137. 

BUYING  and  selling  are  so  well  understood  in  Turkey,  that 
Mohammedans  make  a  practice  of  going  to  mosque,  and  having 
their  goods  marked  with  their  several  prices,  and  those  who  go 
bazaaring — not  shopping — choose  what  they  want,  and  leave  the 
money  to  every  fraction.  What  a  sensure  upon  Christendom, 
where  Falstaff 's  exclamation  is  so  peculiarly  applicable  : — "  How 
this  world  is  given  to  lying."  Think  of  the  bare-faced  assurance 
of  a  clerk,  with  confidential  looks,  assuring  customers  that  he  is 
actually  selling  at  cost  price  !  The  most  profound  adept  in  false- 
hood is  sure  of  promotion,  therefore  it  is  no  wonder  so  many 
lick-spittles  turn  the  tables  on  their  employers,  when  the  devil  is 
the  father  of  lies,  and  lying  the  origin  of  all  evil.  The  popular 
mania  for  bargains  first  caused  these  deceptions  to  be  practised 
among  traders  in  their  own  defense  ;  at  least  this  is  certainly  a 
plausible  excuse,  under  present  circumstances,  for  buyers  and 
sellers  are  foes  rather  than  friends,  and  each  one  exults  in  turn, 
when  laying  the  flattering  unctions  to  their  souls  that  one  has 
overreached  the  other. 

"  '  'Tis  nought,'  saith  the  buyer,  but  after  a  while  he  boast- 
eth  ;"  this  shows  that  a  similar  system  was  carried  on  in  the 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN"    OF    BUSINESS.  265 


days  of  Solomon.  David  seems  to  intimate  that  the  children,  in 
his  days,  told  lies  as  soon  as  they  were  born.  This  pernicious 
custom  of  romancing  has  become  so  general  as  to  produce  a 
countless  race,  whose  ideality  is  immense  ;  they  imagine  that  the 
most  notorious  falsehoods  are  merely  poetical  licenses  and  flowers 
of  rhetoric.  Major  Longbow  would  have  made  his  fortune  in  a 
retail  dry  goods  store,  or  a  Jew's  ready-made  clothing  establish- 
ment. "  One  fib  is  oft  the  cause  of  ten  more,"  says  the  old 
spelling-book,  and  one  who  has  the  gift  of  the  gab,  and  "  lays  it 
on  with  a  trowel,"  is  now  considered  a  first-rate  salesman.  Is  it 
possible,  after  such  manifestations,  that  a  good  understanding 
can  be  maintained  between  employer  and  employed?  Let  us 
consider  the  essential  qualities  most  likely  to  attract  patronage 
and  inspire  respect. 

The  primary  object  is  unqestionably  to  win  the  confidence  of 
those  likely  to  become  purchasers,  and  for  such  a  purpose,  truth 
is  our  card  of  recommendation  ;  all  duplicity  is  recoiled  at  as 
derogatory  to  the  character  of  probity.  The  cost  price  of  wares 
is  never  referred  to,  supposing  such  a  reference  might  only  pro- 
duce incredulity  and  suspicion.  Having  a  general  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  a  salesman  adapts  himself  to  the  disposition  of 
the  buyer,  and,  by  sedulous  attention  and  courtesy,  he  is  sure  to 
please.  Should  an  injudicious  choice  be  made  of  a  defective 
article,  an  honorable  man  will  point  it  out,  and  produce  only 
what  he  can  warrant.  Such  undeviating,  straight-forward  trans- 
actions are  the  sure  methods  of  building  up  a  business  that  will 
endure. 

"Discretion  in  speech  is  more  than  eloquence,"  while  sincerity 
and  affability  are  passports  that  carry  merchants  through  the 
world  like  winged  Mercuries.  An  impertinent  coxcomb  is 
avoided,  especially  by«  ladies  ;  and  unmeaning  tittle  tattle— 

12 


266  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


foreign  to  the  subject — is  out  of  place,  and  resembles  the  trick- 
ery of  a  juggler,  to  divert  attention.  Every  one  has  an  indubita- 
ble right  to  make  all  the  profits  he  possibly  can — but  honorably. 
"The  worth  of  a  thing  depends  on  the  want  of  it.  The  value 
of  a  thing  is  the  market  price  of  it.  This  is  the  only  intelligible 
idea  of  valw.,  and  the  only  reasonable  adjustment  of  price.'"  On 
competition  depends  the  market  price  and  its  fluctuations.  With 
these  necessary  causes,  still,  honor  and  truth  need  never  be 
infringed.  The  public  know  how  to  discriminate  between  genuine 
and  fictitious  trading,  which  accounts  for  the  failures  so  frequent 
in  our  cities  ;  once  imposed  on,  the  rogue's  store  is  shunned,  and 
finally  closed.  Honesty  is  the  best  policy  all  the  world  over,  and 
that  accounts  for  the  unprecedented  prosperity  enjoyed  by  the 
Gold  Pen  Company,  whose  commendable  motto  is  "  ONE  PRICE 
AND  NO  DEVIATION." 

138. 

MANY  traders  and  mechanics  are  in  the  habit  of  making  their 
original  charges,  during  the  day,  on  slate,  and  having  them  at 
night,  or  at  some  convenient  opportunity,  transcribed  on  the 
day-book.  It  is  a  very  unsafe  practice.  A  decision  directly  in 
point  was  made  a  few  years  since  in  the  Suffolk  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas. 

"  In  the  case  of  Buckley  vs.  Pillsbury,  the  defendant  offered  to 
make  oath  to  his  books  of  account,  in  which  it  appeared  that 
the  entries  were  made  once  a  week,  or  oftener,  by  his  clerk,  who 
transcribed  them  from  a  slate,  on  which  they  were  entered  by  the 
defendant  himself ;  the  clerk  not  being  able  to  testify  to  the  items 
charged  any  further  than  that  they  were  correctly  transcribed. 
The  court  ruled  that  the  defendant  could  not  be  permitted  to 
swear  to  the  correctness  of  his  books." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  267 


139. 

"  I  TELL  yon,  my  dear,  it  is  utterly  impossible  !  Save  three 
hundred  dollars  a  year  out  of  my  salary  ?  You  don't  understand 
it,"  said  Charles  Converse  to  his  young  wife. 

"  Perhaps  I  do  not,  replied  Mrs.  Converse,  "  but  my  opinion 
is  very  decided." 

"Women  don't  understand  these  things.  You  think  my 
salary  of  eight  hundred  dollars  a  year,  a  fortune." 

"No  such  a  thing,  Charles." 

"  But  eight  hundred  dollars,  let  me  tell  you,  won't  buy  all  the 
world." 

"  I  had  no  idea  that  it  would  ;  yet,  if  yon  only  had  the  habit 
of  saving  what  you  spend  for  things  that  you  can  get  along  with- 
out, you  would  be  able  to  build  a  house  in  a  few  years." 

"Build  a  house?" 

"  Yes,  build  a  house,  Charles." 

"Well,  that's  a  good  one." 

The  young  man  laughed  heartily  at  the  idea — too  chimerical, 
too  absurd  to  be  harbored  for  a  moment. 

"  How  much  do  you  suppose  it  cost  us  to  live  last  year  ?" 

"Why,  eight  hundred  dollars,  of  course.  It  took  all  my 
salary — there  is  none  of  it  left." 

The  young  wife  smiled  mischievously  as  she  took  from  her 
work-table  drawer  a  small  account-book. 

"  You  did  not  know  that  I  kept  account  of  all  these  things, 
did  you." 

"No  ;  but  how  much  is  it?"  And  Charles  was  a  little  dis- 
turbed by  the  cool  way  iu  which  his  wife  proceeded  to  argue  the 
question. 

"Four  hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars,"  answered  Mrs. 
Converse. 


268  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  Oh,  but,  my  dear,  you  have  not  got  half  of  it  down." 

"  Yes,  I  have — everything." 

"  My  tailor's  bill  was  sixty-five  dollars." 

"  I  have  it  here." 

"Hats,  boots,  and — " 

"  I  have  them  all." 

"The  deuce  you  have." 

"  When  you  had  any  new  thing,  you  know  I  always  asked 
you  what  you  gave  for  it." 

"  I  know  you  did  ;  but  I  will  bet  five  dollars  I  can  name  a 
dozen  things  that  you  have  not  got  down." 

"Done  1"  said  the  lady  with  a  laugh,  as  she  took  from  her 
drawer  a  five  dollar  bill,  and  placed  it  on  the  table. 

Charles  Converse  covered  the  money. 

"  Capital  idea  for  you  to  bet  against  me  with  my  money  1" 
said  he  good  humoredly. 

"  If  I  lose,  I  will  do  without  that  new  barege  I  am  to  have." 

"  Nay,  my  dear,  I  don't  want  you  to  do  that." 

"  But  go  on." 

"  Pew-rent,  six  dollars,"  said  the  husband  promptly. 

"Here  it  is,"  answered  she,  pointing  to  the  entry  in  the  book. 
"Try  again." 

"  Season  ticket  on  the  railroad — twenty." 

"I  have  it." 

"Sawing  the  wood." 

"Entered." 

Charles  reflected  a  moment ;  the  case  began  to  look  desperate. 

"New  linings  for  the  cooking-stove." 

"  Here — two  dollars." 

"  Cleaning  the  clock." 

"  One  dollar — here  it  is." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  269 


Mr.  Converse  began  to  look  hopeless. 

"  My  taxes." 

"  Well,  I  have  not  got  that." 

But  that  was  the  only  thing  he  could  mention  of  these  neces- 
sary expenses,  that  was  not  found  to  be  regularly  entered  on  his 
wife's  book.  Still  Mr.  Converse  was  not  satisfied. 

"  Your  figures  cannot  be  correct,  Mary,"  said  he. 

"Why  not?" 

"  My  salary  is  all  used  np,  and  yon  can  account  for  only  four 
hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars  of  it." 

"You  must  explain  the  balance." 

"I !  Why,  Mary,  I  have  not  been  extravagant.  It  is  true,  I 
buy  a  great  many  little  things  in  the  course  of  the  year,  but  they 
are  hardly  worth  the  mention." 

"Ah!  there's  the  mischief.  That  is  where  the  money  goes, 
you  may  depend  upon  it." 

"  Nonsense  !     You  women  don't  understand  these  things." 

"  Of  course,  we  don't ! " 

"Well,  your  figures  show  that  you  don't. — Where  has  the 
three  hundred  dollars  gone  to,  then  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  Charley.  I  haven't  the  least  idea.  I  am 
sure  that  I  have  got  down  all  the  items  that  came  within  my 
knowledge.  I  am  positive  that  you  have  brought  home  no  arti- 
cle of  any  description  that  has  not  been  entered  upon  the  book — 
I  mean  the  articles  of  food  and  clothing,  and  things  for  the 
house." 

"  But  just  look  at  it  a  moment.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that 
I  have  spent  three  hundred  dollars  over  and  above  our  necessary 
expenses  ?  "  said  Charles,  a  little  warmly. 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say  anything  about  it,  for  I  don't  know 
anything  about  it." 


270  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


"  Now  I  think  of  it,  there's  my  life  insurance,  have  you  got 
that  down  ?  " 

"I  have  not." 

"  There  is  forty  of  the  three  hundred." 

"  But  it  leaves  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars  unaccounted 
for." 

"It  would  take  a  great  while  to  collect  money  enough  to 
build  a  house,  even  if  the  whole  of  this  sum  were  saved." 

"Not  a  great  while,  Charles.  You  know  my  father  has 
promised  to  give  you  the  land  when  you  have  the  means  to  build 
a  house  upon  it." 

"  It  will  be  a  long  while,"  laughed  the  husband. 

"Five  or  six  years,  perhaps,  if  you  are  prudent.  Hasn't  the 
President  of  your  bank  promised  you. a  thousand  dollars  a  year  ?'; 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  you  can  certainly  save  four  hundred  dollars  a  year." 

"  There  is  a  thousand  things  we  want  when  my  salary  is  raised." 

"But  we  can  do  without  them." 

"I  suppose  we  can." 

"  Just  look  here,  Charles." 

Mrs.  Converse  took  from  her  pocket  a  circular  issued  by  the 
"People's  Saving's  Bank,"  in  which  the  accumulation  of  several 
small  sums  deposited  weekly  and  quarterly,  were  arranged  in  a 
table. 

"  Fifty  dollars  deposited  every  quarter  will  net  in  five  years, 
one  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty-one  dollars  twenty-five 
cents  ! "  continued  she,  reading  from  the  circular. 

"  Bah  ! "  added  Mr.  Converse. 

"That  sum  would  build  a  very  comfortable  house  ;  and  when 
your  salary  is  a  thousand  dollars  a  year  you  can  save  more  than 
fifty  dollars  a  quarter." 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  27  L 


"  A  five  per  cent,  institution,  isn't  it  ?  "  asked  the  young  man. 

But  he  was  much  impressed  by  the  reasoning  of  his  wife,  and 
in  the  course  of  the  evening  he  carefully  read  the  circular  of  the 
"People's  Saving's  Bank." 

Certainly  he  had  every  inducement  for  being  saving  and 
economical.  He  had  lived  very  cheaply  in  a  small  house 
belonging  to  his  father-in-law,  for  which  he  paid  a  merely  nomi- 
nal rent. 

His  wife's  father  was  a  wealthy  farmer,  or  rather  he  had  been 
a  farmer,  before  his  domain  was  invaded  by  the  march  of 
improvement,  and  his  pastures  and  mowing  lots  laid  out  into 
house  lotSv  As  it  was,  he  still,  from  the  force  of  habit,  improved 
a  few  acres,  kept  a  couple  of  cows,  a  "  henery,"  and  half  a  dozen 

Pigs- 
Charles  Converse  found  this  proximity  to  the  "  old  folks  nt 
home,"  rather  satisfactory,  in  a  pecuniary  as  well  as  a  social 
point  of  view,  for  his  larder  was  partly  stocked  from  the  farm  ; 
and,  of  course,  no  account  was  ever  made  of  half  a  pig,  a  barrel 
of  apples  or  potatoes,  or  a  pair  of  chickens.  Milk  and  eggs 
were  so  much  better  and  fresher  from  "pa's,"  that  of  course  the 
young  couple  never  desired  to  obtain  them  from  any  other 
source. 

They  lived  cheaply  and  lived  in  clover  besides.  Charles  never 
liked  to  talk  about  financial  matters  with  "pa, "because  the 
worthy  old  gentleman  used  to  tell  him  how  he  lived  on  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  a  year  after  he  was  married — thought  he 
had  a  fat  salary,  and  supposed,  of  course,  he  saved  four  hundred 
dollars  a  year  put  of  it — and  always  wound  up  by  saying  that 
he  would  give  him  a  lot — might  take  his  pick  of  all  he  owned — 
whenever  he  got  ready  to  build. 

All  these  things  rather  worked  upon  Charles  Converse.     He 


272  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


hadn't  saved  a  dollar,  and  what  was  more,  there  was  no  present 
prospect  that  he  ever  would  do  so.  The  promised  advance  in 
salary  was  already  appropriated  to  sundry  luxuries.  The  idea 
of  taking  Mary  to  the  opera,  or  a  pleasant  trip  to  Niagara,  and 
other  amiabilities,  had  taken  possession  of  him. 

But  the  reasoning  of  his  wife  had  produced  a  strong  impres- 
sion upon  his  mind.  She  had  been  brought  up  in  the  strictest 
habits  of  economy.  Her  lather,  though  rich,  had  an  army  of 
children  ;  but  they  were  all  wealthy  in  their  thrifty  habits. 

Charles  read  over  and  over  the  circular  of  the  Saving's  Bank 
in  the  evening,  figured  up  the  statistics,  and  wondered  what  had 
become  of  that  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars. 

Before  he  went  to  bed  he  had  matured  a  resolution,  though 
he  did  not  say  a  word  to  his  wife  about  it. 

The  next  day,  Charles  Converse  received  a  quarter's  salary, 
and  his  first  step,  after  receiving  it,  was  to  visit  the  People's 
Saving's  Bank,  where  he  deposited  fifty  dollars. 

But  the  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  which  he  had  left  burned  in 
his  pockets.  -  It  was  all  he  had  to  carry  him  through  the  ensu- 
ing three  months.  There  were  a  dozen  little  things  that  he  want- 
ed, and  a  dozen  big  ones,  for  that  matter.  Against  the  latter 
he  resolutely  set  his  face,  though,  in  consideration  of  the  fact 
that  his  salary  would  be  a  thousand  dollars  a  year,  after  the  next 
pay-day,  he  had  a  week  before  made  up  his  mind  to  have  them. 

Among  other  things  his  segar-case  was  empty,  and  he  stepped 
into  Seavy's,  in  Congress  street,  to  have  it  replenished.  Segars 
were  a  great  luxury — in  fact,  a  necessity  to  him,  in  his  own 
opinion. 

The  gentlemanly  proprietor  of  the  establishment  placed  a  box 
of  the  fragrant  rolls  upon  the  counter. 

"  Something  new,"  said  he. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  273 


Charles  took  up  a  handful  and  smelt  them. 

"  Best  segars  in  the  market,"  continued  the  vender. 

"  Tip-top,"  replied  Charles,  inhaling  the  grateful  odor.  "  How 
do  you  sell  them  ?  n 

"  Four  cents  apiece." 

Six  of  them  were  transferred  to  the  case,  a  quarter  thrown 
down,  and,  as  it  was  not  magnanimous  to  pick  up  a  copper's 
change,  he  left  the  store.  But  then,  a  little  fellow  inside  seemed 
to  say  : 

"  Charley,  you  can't  afford  to  smoke  such  segars  as  those. 
They  will  hardly  last  you  two  days.  If  you  must  smoke,  buy  a 
cheaper  segar  than  that.  You  will  not  be  able  to  build  your 
house  in  ten  years  at  this  rate." 

He  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  the  monitorial  voice,  how- 
ever, and  as  he  passed  along  he  drank  a  sherry  cobbler  himself 
and  paid  for  three  friends,  whom  he  could  not  help  asking  to 
drink  with  him,  at  Barton's. 

At  Vinton's,  a  Charlotte  Russe  was  disposed  of,  and  so  on  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter.  And  these  were  his  daily  habits.  It 
was  only  a  sixpence  or  a  quarter  at  a  time,  and  these  were  so 
ridiculously  small,  that  they  never  caused  him  a  thought.  The 
idea  that  they  absorbed  any  considerable  portion  of  his  salary, 
never  occurred  to  him.  He  had  always  gratified  his  appetite  or 
inclination  in  these  matters,  as  they  had  come  to  be  regarded 
as  necessities. 

Still,  Charles  Converse  had  turned  over  a  new  leaf.  He 
refrained  from  purchasing  a  great  many  articles  which  he  had 
intended  to  get  when  he  received  his  quarter's  salary,  and  as  he 
seated  himself  in  the  cars,  he  congratulated  himself  on  the  firm- 
ness with  which  he  had  carried  out  the  resolution  of  the  previous 
evening. 

12* 


274  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


"You  are  late,  Charles,"  said  Mary,  when  he  reached  his 
sunny  little  cottage. 

"  I  have  been  paying  my  quarter  bills,"  replied  he,  with  a 
smile.  "Here  they  are,  my  sweet  accountant." 

He  threw  the  bills  upon  the  table,  and  while  she  was  examin- 
ing them,  he  threw  his  bank-book  in  her  face. 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  she,  in  astonishment,  as  she  saw  the 
book.  "  Fifty  dollars  ! " 

"Yes,  my  dear,  female  influence — the  influence  of  a  wife," 
and  the  husband  playfully  kissed  her.  "I  am  convicted  of  sin, 
and  converted,  too,  which  is  better  still.  I  am  resolved  to  be 
prudent,  economical,  saving,  even  parsimonious." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it." 

"And  the  house  will  be  built  in  just  five  years,  according  to 
the  programme  of  the  Saving's  Bank." 

As  he  spoke,  he  took  from  his  pockets  three  of  the  city  even- 
ing papers. 

"Not  quite  cured,  Charles,"  said  Mary  with  a  smile. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Journal,  Transcript,  and  Traveler,  two  cents  each,"  laughed 
Mary.  "  You  are  determined  the  publishers  shall  live." 

"  Why,  Mary,  you  wouldn't  have  me  live  without  a  newspaper, 
would  you  ?  That  would  be  a  depth  of  barbarism  to  which  I 
would  never  descend,"  replied  Charles,  with  a  look  of  astonish- 
ment, at  the  interesting  mentor. 

"  Certainly  not ;  but  is  not  one  paper  a  day  enough  ?" 

"  That  is  but  a  trifle." 

"The  rain  falls  in  drops,  but  washes  the  whole  earth.  Four 
cents  a  day,  for  a  year,  amounts  to  about  twelve  dollars." 

Charles  scratched  his  head.  It  was  a  most  astounding  revela- 
tion to  him. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  275 


"  Yon  are  right,  Mary,  one  paper  Ls  enough." 

Charles  eat  his  supper,  but  was  moody  and  abstracted.  A  new 
idea  was  penetrating  his  brain,  which,  he  began  to  think,  had 
been  rather  muddy  on  financial  affairs. 

As  he  rose  from  his  table  he  took  out  his  segar  case,  and  as 
he  did  so,  the  little  fellow  within,  who  had  spoken  to  him  when 
he  came  out  of  the  segar  shop,  began  to  upbraid  him  pretty 
sharply.  He  burned  his  fingers  in  attempting  to  light  the  fra- 
grant roll,  and  then  relapsed  into  a  fit  of  deep  musing. 

"What  are  you  thinking  about,  Charles?"  asked  Mary,  after 
she  had  cleared  away  the  table. 

"Eh  !  Oh,  I  was  thinking  how  much  twelve  times  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  are." 

"  Twelve  means  twelve  cents,  I  suppose  ?  "  said  she,  performing 
the  problem  on  the  margin  of  one  of  the  newspapers.  "  Here  it 
is,  forty-three  dollars  and  eighty  cents." 

"  For  segars,"  added  he,  blankly. 

"Which  added  to  the  sum  paid  for  superfluous  newspapers, 
makes  fifty-six  dollars  and  twenty-eight  cents." 

"  And  twenty  for  shaving,  which  I  may  do  myself,  are 
seventy-six  dollars  and  twenty-eight  cents,"  continued  he,  taking 
the  pencil  and  ciphering  away  with  all  his  might  for  a  few 
moments. 

"  Gleasoris  Pictorial,  Home,  Journal,  Saturday  Courier,  and 
your  county  paper  come  to " 

"But,  my  dear,  we  can't  do  without  our  county  paper," 
exclaimed  Charles,  looking  with  amazement  into  the  face  of  his 
wife. 

"  I  don't  wanjt  you  to  do  without  that,"  said  his  wife 

"  Sherry  cobblers,  ice  creams,  and  oysters,  over  a  hundred  dol- 
lars, by  thunder  1 "  continued  he,  turning  to  his  figures  again. 


276  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  Indeed ! " 

"  I  begin  to  see  where  the  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dol- 
lars have  gone  to,"  said  he. 

"  And  sherry  cobblers  are  worse  than  useless.  I  had  no  idea 
you  drank,  Charles." 

"  Say  no  more,  Mary,  I  am  done." 

And  he  was  done.  The  idea  of  "saving  up"  something  took 
complete  possession  of  him — not  so  far  as  to  make  him  niggardly 
— but  for  enough  to  make  him  abandon  the  four  cent  segars, 
three  evening  papers,  Vinton's  compounds,  and  especially  sherry 
cobblers. 

On  the  next  quarter  day  one  hundred  dollars  was  added  to 
his  deposit  at  the  Saving's  Bank,  and  as  his  habits  improved 
afterward,  and  his  salary  still  further  increased,  much  greater 
sums  were  added. 

In  four  years  the  house  was  built,  new  furniture  bought  and 
paid  for,  and  Charles  is  considered  one  of  the  most  thrifty  young 
men  in  the  town — all  of  which  propitious  events,  we  honestly 
believe,  had  their  origin  in  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  Sav- 
ing's Bank,  whose  circular  had  opened  his  eyes,  and  stimulated 
him  to  carry  out  his  resolution. 

40. 

HAVE  your  property  at  all  tunes  fully  insured.  From  a 
neglect  of  this  caution,  thousands  are  annually  ruined.  Insure  at 
those  offices  that  have  the  reputation  of  paying  claims  honorably 
and  punctually;  even  if  you  give  a  higher  premium.  It  would 
be  judicious  to  show  your  policies  to  some  experienced  and  dis- 
interested person  well  versed  in  the  subject  of  insurance,  in  order 
to  be  sure  that  all  is  right. 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  277 


141. 

IT  is  related  of  Girard,  that  when  a  young  tradesman,  having 
bought  and  paid  for  a  bag  of  coffee,  proceeded  to  wheel  it  home 
himself,  the  shrewd  old  merchant  immediately  offered  to  trust 
his  new  customer  to  as  many  more  bags  as  the  latter  might 
desire.  The  trait  of  character  revealed  by  the  young  man  in 
being  his  own  porter,  had  given  the  millionaire  confidence  in  him 
at  once.  His  reputation  was  made  with  Girard.  He  became  a 
favored  dealer  with  the  enterprising  merchant,  throve  rapidly, 
and  in  the  end  amassed  a  fortune. 

No  mere  capital  will  do  so  much  for  young  men  as  character. 
Nor  will  always  even  capital  and  connection  combined.  In  our 
own  experience,  we  have  known  many  beginners  who  have 
utterly  failed,  though  backed  by  ample  means,  and  assisted  by 
the  influence  of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  In  some  cases,  indeed, 
considerable  experience,  as  well  as  industry  and  perseverance, 
have  been  added  to  these  advantages,  yet  without  securing  suc- 
cess. We  have  known  such  persons,  after  a  failure  in  their  first 
pursuit,  to  try  a  second,  and  even  a  third,  yet  with  no  better 
result,  although  still  assisted  by  capital,  by  friends,  and  even  by 
their  own  activity.  The  secret  was  that  they  had  missed,  some- 
how, making  a  character  for  themselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  common  occurence  to  see  young 
men  begin  without  a  cent,  yet  rapidly  rise  to  fortune.  They 
achieve  this  triumph  by  establishing,  at  the  outset,  a  reputation 
for  being  competent  business  men.  Few  are  so  fortunate  as  to 
do  this  by  a  single  characteristic  act,  like  the  purchaser  who 
won  Girard's  good  will  by  wheeling  home  the  bag  ;  for  generally 
neither  veteran  merchants  are  as  shrewd  as  the  famous  million- 
aire, nor  young  dealers  as  energetic  as  his  customer.  But  a 
consistent  life  of  ^agacity,  economy  and  industry,  invariably 


278  MAXIMS,  MOBALS  AND  MISCELLANIES 


establishes  the  right  kind  of  reputation  in  the  end.  Confidence 
grows  up  in  influential  quarters,  towards  the  young  beginner. 
Old  merchants  shake  their  heads  approvingly,  and  say,  "he  is 
of  the  right  stuff,  and  will  get  along."  Credit  comes,  as  it  were, 
unsought.  Connection  follows.  The  reputation  of  the  new 
aspirant  widens  and  deepens  ;  his  transactions  begin  to  be  quoted 
as  authority  ;  trade  flows  in  on  him  from  every  quarter  ;  and  in 
a  few  years  he  retires  with  a  competence,  or  remains  to  become 
a  millionaire.  All  this  is  the  result  of  establishing,  at  the  outset, 
a  character  of  the  right  sort. 

We  may  say  to  every  young  man,  about  to  start  in  life,  make 
a  character  for  yourself  as  soon  as  possible.  Let  it  also  be  a 
distinctive  one.  It  is  better  to  have  a  name  for  excelling  all 
others  in  some  one  thing  than  to  enjoy  simply  a  notoriety  for 
merely  general  merit.  Are  you  a  mechanic? — outstrip  your 
fellows  in  skill.  Are  you  a  young  lawyer  ? — become  superior  in 
a  particular  branch.  Are  you  a  clerk  ? — be  the  best  book-keeper 
your  employers  have.  Are  you  in  a  store? — make  yourself 
acquainted  with  the  various  buyers.  In  short,  become  known 
for  an  excellence  peculiar  to  yourself ;  acquire  a  speciality,  as  it 
is  called  ;  and  success  is  certain,  because  you  will  have,  as  it 
were,  a  monopoly,  and  can  dictate  your  own  terms. 

Money  may  be  lost,  without  fault  of  our  own,  by  some  one  or 
another  of  the  accidents  of  life.  Connections  may  be  broken  up, 
by  death,  or  failure,  or  change  of  interests.  But  character 
remains  through  all.  It  belongs  to  the  individual,  and  is  above 
the  chances  of  fate.  Thousands  who  have  lost  all  else,  have 
recovered  themselves,  by  having  a  character  to  start  anew  with  ; 
but  no  man,  without  a  business  character,  has  even  risen  from 
the  ruin  caused  by  the  loss  of  capital,  or  the  destruction  of  con- 
nection. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  279 


142. 

IN  the  vicinity  of  B lived  a  poor  but  industrious  man, 

depending  for  support  upon  his  daily  labor.  His  wife  fell  sick, 
and  not  being  able  to  hire  a  nurse,  he  was  obliged  to  confine 
himself  to  the  sick  bed  and  family.  His  means  of  support  being 
thus  cut  off,  he  found  himself  ;n  need.  Having  a  wealthy  neigh- 
bor near,  he  determ\N  £  ^  ^  <V)r  two  bushels  of  wheat,  with 
a  promise  to  pay  a.- no  one  clas§-,  'ife  became  well  enough  to 
leave,  that  he  could  return  to  his  "rtftrk.  Accordingly  he  took 
his  bag,  went  to  his  neighbor's,  and  arrived  when  they  were  at 
family  prayers. 

As  he  sat  on  the  door-stone  he  heard  the  man  pray  very  ear- 
nestly that  God  would  clothe  the  naked,  feed  the  hungry,  relieve 
the  needy,  comfort  all  that  mourn.  The  prayer  concluded,  the 
the  poor  man  stepped  in  and  made  known  his  business,  promising 
to  pay  with  the  avails  of  his  labor.  The  farmer  was  very  sorry 
he  could  not  accommodate  him,  but  he  had  promised  to  lend  a 
large  sura  of  money,  and  had  depended  upon  his  wheat  to  make 
it  out ;  but  he  presumed  neighbor  A would  let  him  have  it. 

With  a  tearful  eye  and  a  sad  heart,  the  poor  man  turned 
away.  As  soon  as  he  left  the  house  the  farmer's  little  son  step- 
ped up  and  said  : — 

"  Father,  did  you  not  pray  that  God  would  clothe  the  naked, 
and  feed  the  hungry,  relieve  the  distressed,  and  comfort  the 
mourners  ?  " 

"Yes— why?" 

"  Because,  father,  if  I  had  your  wheat  I  would  answer  that 
prayer."  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  Christian  father  called 
back  his  suffering  neighbor,  and  gave  him  as  much  wheat  as  he 
needed. 

Now,  Christian  readers,  do  you  answer  your  own  prayers  ? 


280  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


143. 

IT  is  astonishing  how  many  people  there  are  who  neglect  punc- 
tuality. Thousands  have  failed  in  life  from  this  cause  alone. 
It  is  not  only  a  serious  viee  in  itself,  but  it  is  the  fruitful  parent 
of  numerous  other  vices,  so  that  he  who  becomes  the  victim  of  it 
gets  involved  in  toils  from  which  it  is  "'y  f.  -  <inpossible  to  escape. 
It  makes  the  merchant  waste^petence,  or  :t  saps  the  business 
reputation  of  the  lawyer,  akJTFf  injures *ine  prospects  of  mechan- 
ics who  might  otherwise  rise  to  fortune  :  in  a  wordfc  there  is  not 
a  profession,  nor  a  station  in  life,  which  is  not  liable  to  the 
canker  of  this  destructive  habit. 

It  is  a  fact  not  always  remembered,  that  Napoleon's  great 
victories  were  won  by  infusing  into  his  subordinates  the  necessity 
of  punctuality  to  the  minute.  It  was  his  plan  to  maneuver  over 
large  spaces  of  country,  so  as  to  render  the  enemy  uncertain 
where  he  was  about  to  strike  a  blow,  and  then  suddenly  to  con- 
centrate his  forces  and  fall  with  irresistible  force  on  some  weak 
point  of  the  extended  lines  of  the  foe.  The  execution  of  this 
system  demanded  that  each  division  of  the  army  should  arrive  at 
the  specified  spot  punctually  ;  for,  if  any  part  failed  to  come  up, 
the  battle  was  lost.  It  was  by  imitating  this  plan  that  the  allies 
finally  succeeded  in  overthrowing  the  emperor.  The  whole 
Waterloo  campaign  turned  on  these  tactics.  At  Mount  St. 
Jean,  Blucher  was  punctual,  while  Grouchy  was  not ;  and  the 
result  was  that  Napoleon  fell  and  Wellington  triumphed. 

In  mercantile  affairs,  punctuality  is  as  important  as  in  military. 
Many  are  the  instances  in  which  the  neglect  to  renew  an  insur- 
ance punctually  has  led  to  a  serious  loss.  Hundreds  of  city  mer- 
chants are  now  suffering  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  punctual- 
ity among  their  western  customers  in  paying  up  accounts.  With 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   HEN    OF    BUSINESS.  281 


sound  policy  do  the  banks  insist,  under  the  penalty  of  a  protest, 
on  the  punctual  payment  of  notes  ;  for,  were  they  to  do  other- 
wise, commercial  transactions  would  fall  into  inextricable  confu- 
sion. Many  and  many  a  time  has  the  failure  of  one  man  to 
meet  his  obligations  brought  on  the  ruin  of  a  score  of  others, 
just  as  the  toppling  down,  in  a  line  of  bricks,  of  the  master 
brick,  causes  the  fall  of  all  the  rest. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  one  class  of  men  less  punctual  than 
mechanics.  Do  you  want  an  upholsterer  ?  He  rarely  comes 
when  he  agrees.  So  with  carpenters,  painters,  and  nearly  all 
others.  Tailors  and  shoemakers  often  do  not  have  their  articles 
home  in  time.  The  consequence  is  that  thousands  remain  poor 
all  their  lives,  who,  if  they  were  more  faithful  in  their  word, 
would  secure  a  large  run  of  custom,  and  so  make  their  fortunes. 
What  would  become  of  the  Ledger  if  it  was  not  punctual  hi 
going  to  press  ?  or  if  our  paper-makers  were  not  punctual  in 
delivering  paper  ?  or  if  our  compositors  were  not  punctual  in 
coming  to  work  ?  Be  punctual,  if  you  would  succeed. 

144. 

WHILE  journeying  one  day  from  London  to  Oxford,  before 
railroads  were  in  use,  in  the  good  old-fashioned  stage-coach,  I 
chanced  to  meet  a  fine,  hearty,  hale  specimen  of  an  Englishman, 
who  was  as  good  a  stage-coach  companion  as  one  ever  meets. 
He  had  a  joke  to  crack  at  every  mile-stone,  and  his  laugh  drove 
all  ennui  out  of  the  way.  At  every  stopping-place  he  was  sure 
to  draw  a  laugh  from  the  bar-maid  by  some  innocent  piece  of 
wit,  and  in  the  twinkle  of  his  small  black  eye  was  a  mingled 
expression  of  cunning  and  acuteness.  An  opposition  coach  came 
along,  and  for  a  little  way  we  were  side  by  side — the  horses 
partaking  of  the  spirit  of  the  drivers,  who  seemed  determined 


282  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


that  it  should  be  their  last  race,  at  the  break-neck  speed  we 
were  going.  The  old  gentleman  entered  into  the  sport  with 
great  glee  ;  and,  with  his  head  out  of  the  window,  he  shouted 
first  at  the  horses,  and  then  at  the  opposition  driver,  till  we 
finally  outstripped  them,  when  the  old  gentleman  laid  back  and 
declared  that  ' '  Opposition  was  the  life  of  everything." 

"When  I  was  a  young  man,"  said  he,  "I  set  up  in  the  hat 
trade,  and  took  a  store  in  London,  where  there  was  not  a  hat 
store  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  thinking  I  should  do  more 
where  there  were  no  others  ;  but  I  found  that,  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  all  that  I  made  might  have  been  put  into  the  corner  of  my 
small  eye,  and  not  have  injured  its  sight.  I  sat  clown  one  day, 
and,  after  thinking  that  my  lot  was  a  mighty  hard  one,  told  my 
boy  that  I  was  going  out  awhile,  and  that  he  must  keep  a  sharp 
look-out  for  customers.  I  went  down  town,  and,  looking  around, 
found  that  two  or  three  hatters  were  driving  a  very  good  trade 
very  near  together,  and  passing  into  one  store,  I  found  its  owner 
quite  a  talkative  man.  We  put  our  heads  together,  and,  in  the 
course  of  a  week,  the  store  directly  opposite  his  received  my 
stock  in  trade,  and  a  coat  of  blue  paint  on  the  outside,  while  his 
received  a  coat  of  green. 

"The  first  day  I  did  nothing  but  stand  at  the  door  and  look 
pouty  at  the  green  store,  and  my  friend  Blake  stood  on  his  steps 
looking  ditto  at  me.  As  people  came  in,  I  commenced  running 
down  the  green  store,  and  Blake  always  run  the  blue,  so  between 
us  both,  we  built  up  a  trade  that  way  quite  respectable.  People 
having  taken  sides,  and  new  comers  always  purchasing  of  one  or 
the  other,  we  gradually  grew  rich,  and,  at  the  end  of  some  dozen 
years,  we  settled  up,  and  I  found  that  opposition,  or  apparently 
so,  had  made  my  fortune." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  283  " 


145. 

"  To  depart  from  regular  business  is  to  lose  money." 
No  maxim  in  life  is  more  strictly  true  than  the  above  quota- 
tion. How  often  do  we  see  men  who,  in  the  pursuit  of  their 
regular  business,  were  daily  gaining  in  respect  and  credit,  (lured 
away  by  the  ignis  fautus  of  sudden  wealth,)  embark  in  specula- 
tions and  enterprises  of  which  they  know  nothing.  They  con- 
tinue on  until  serious  embarrassment,  and  oftentimes  positive 
ruin,  open  their  eyes  to  the  fact  that  in  all  descriptions  of  trade 
or  commercial  pursuit  toll  must  be  paid  either  by  apprenticeship 
or  money.  We  have  frequently  had  occasion  to  notice  the  truth 
of  this  somewhat  trite  remark.  We  have  seen  the  retailer  striv- 
ing hard  to  connect  jobbing  with  his  retailing  ;  and  the  jobber, 
in  his  turn,  grown  envious  of  the  importer,  seek  to  range  out  of 
his  appropriate  sphere,  and  in  nine  cases  in  ten  these  departures 
from  legitimate  trade  have  been  failures  in  their  results,  and 
upon  a  calm  analysis  it  will  be  found  that  quite  as  much  success 
•  has  been  attained  as  could  have  been  rationally  expected.  We 
see,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  country  merchant  has  the  same 
sources  open  to  him  for  the  supply  of  his  wants  as  the  city 
retailer.  If  the  purchaser  is  doing  business  in  the  country,  the 
jobber  takes  into  consideration  that  competition  is  less,  and  the 
risk  consequently  lessened.  His  offers  in  prices  arc  quite  as  low, 
at  least,  to  the  country  merchant  as  to  the  city  retailer,  and  thus 
the  purchases  made  of  a  smaller  concern  must  have  some  extra 
inducement  either  in  lower  prices  or  length  of  time.  If  goods 
are  sold  without  these  inducements,  we  think  it  would  be  safe  to 
conclude  that  a  want  of  credit  among  jobbers  is  one  reason  for 
his  seeking  to  make  purchases  among  his  equals.  But  even  were 
this  barrier  removed,  would  it  be  sound  policy  for  a  man  (whose 
main  dependence  is  on  the  retail  trade)  to  allow  the  gems  to  be 


284  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


selected  at  about  cost  from  his  stock,  and  goods  of  inferior 
qualities  and  more  ordinary  styles  left,  from  which  he  must  suit 
the  taste  of  fastidious  women.  Generally  a  stock  selected  from 
in  this  way  is  injured  vastly  more  than  the  profit  made  could 
benefit,  even  were  there  no  risk  in  the  credit. 

The  position  of  the  jobber  and  importer  can  be  illustrated 
better  by  an  anecdote,  which  we  heard  from  undoubted  au- 
thority. A  jobber  who,  one  year  since,  was  afflicted  with  the 
importing  mania,  and  followed  the  business  successfully  during 
the  year  1847,  realizing  therefrom  over  two  thousand  dollars, 
says  he  would  willingly  give  all  the  money  he  made  in  '47,  and 
five  hundred  dollars  added  thereto,  to  be  rid  of  his  imports  for 
'48.  Many  will  say  this  was  all  owing  to  circumstances,  which 
probably  might  not  happen  again  in  years,  and  that  the  import- 
ers are  all  in  the  same  boat.  Softly,  man  1  this  is  not  exactly 
so.  Upon  inquiry  you  will  find  that  but  few  of  the  present 
quantities  of  excess  goods  belong  to  our  importers.  They  are 
merely  the  factors,  the  ownership  rests  elsewhere  ;  and  the  heavy 
loss  (for  a  heavy  loss  must  be  sustained  on  this  spring's  imports) 
will  fall  upon  Europe,  and  not  be  sustained  here. 

Importers  who  are  pecuniarily  interested  hi  the  price  at  which 
goods  are  sold  in  this  country,  have  some  connection,  branch,  or 
resident  partner  in  Europe,  whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  the  market 
there.  The  exports  from  thence  is  the  barometer  ;  and  when 
such  times  as  the  present  are  upon  us,  we  find  that,  although 
they  seemingly  and  in  reality  have  goods  enough  on  hand,  they 
belong  to  other  parties,  and  in  many  instances  have  been  shipped 
against  their  advice.  So  sensitively  alive  are  these  resident  part- 
ners in  Europe  to  the  exports,  that  we  have  heard  of  five  pounds 
'  having  been  paid  for  the  outward  manifest  of  a  ship  bound  to 
the  United  States. 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  285. 


We  have  been  frequently  amused  at  the  quaint  remarks  of 
Zadock  Pratt,  Esq.,  ex-member  of  Congress,  (a  man  of  strong 
common  sense,)  who  was  originally  a  tanner  by  trade.  A 
speculator  was  showing  him  a  new  method  of  tanning,  by  which 
he  represented  great  quantities  of  money  could  be  made.  Pratt 
told  him  he  did  not  doubt  it,  but  he  was  making  money  enough  • 
that  he  (the  speculator)  had  better  find  some  one  who  was  not 
doing  so  well.  He  has  resisted  all  attempts  to  allure  him  from 
his  legitimate  business,  and  by  close  application  has  amassed  a 
quarter  of  a  million. 

Our  advice  is,  to  the  retailer,  do  not  attempt  to  job  ;  to  the 
jobber,  leave  importing  alone  ;  and  to  the  importer,  allow  not 
the  offer  of  an  extra  price  to  induce  you  to  break  a  package,  for 
it  is  as  completely  unjust  for  you  to  rob  the  jobber  of  his  legiti- 
mate profit  as  it  would  be  for  the  jobber  to  retail  goods.  We 
say  most  emphatically,  stick  to  jOur  regular  business. 

146. 

WE  know  not  who  may  be  the  author  of  the  following  max- 
ims ;  but  experience,  the  greatest  human  teacher,  has  long  since 
satisfied  us  of  their  soundness.  Our  worthy  friend,  ZADOCK 
PRATT,  of  Prattsville,  and  many  more,  will  bear  cheerful  testi- 
mony as  to  their  efficacy  in  effecting  the  objects  proposed. 

BE  INDUSTRIOUS. — Everybody  knows  that  industry  is  a  funda- 
mental virtue  in  a  man  of  business.  But  it  is  not  every  sort  of 
industry  which  tends  to  wealth.  Many  men  work  hard  to  do  a 
great  deal  of  business,  and,  after  all,  make  less  money  than  they 
would  if  they  did  less.  Industry  should  be  expended  in  seeing 
to  ah"  the  details  of  business  ;  in  carefully  finishing  up  each  sepa- 
rate undertaking,  and  in  the  maintenance  of  such  a  system  as 
will  keep  everything  under  control. 


286  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


BE  ECONOMICAL. — This  rule,  also,  is  familiar  to  everybody. 
Economy  is  a  virtue  to  be  practised  every  hour  in  a  great  city. 
It  is  to  be  practised  in  pence  as  well  as  in  pounds.  A  shilling  a 
day  saved,  amounts  to  an  estate  in  the  course  of  a  life.  Economy 
is  especially  important  in  the  outset  of  life,  until  the  foundation 
.of  an  estate  is  laid.  Many  men  are  poor  all  their  days,  because, 
when  their  necessary  expenditures  were  light,  they  did  not  seize 
the  opportunity  to  save  a  small  capital,  which  would  have 
changed  their  fortunes  for  the  whole  of  their  lives. 

STICK  TO  YOUR  OWN  BUSINESS. — Let  speculators  make  their 
thousands  in  a  year  or  a  day  ;  mind  your  own  regular  trade, 
never  turning  from  it,  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left.  If  you 
are  a  merchant,  a  professional  man,  or  a  mechanic,  never  buy 
lots  nor  stocks,  unless  you  have  surplus  money,  which  you  wish 
to  invest.  Your  own  business  you  understand  as  well  as  other 
men  ;  but  other  people's  business  you  do  not  understand.  Let 
your  business  be  something  which  is  useful  to  the  commnnity. 
All  occupations  possess  the  elements  of  profit  in  themselves,  while 
mere  speculation  has  no  such  elements. 

NEVER  TRADE  AT  GREAT  HAZARD. — Such  hazards  are  seldom 
well-balanced  by  the  prospects  of  profit ;  and,  if  they  were,  the 
habits  of  mind  which  are  introduced  are  unfavorable,  and  gene- 
rally the  result  is  bad.  To  keep  what  you  have  should  be  the 
first  rule  ;  to  get  what  you  can  fairly,  the  second. 

Do  NOT  LOVE  MONEY  EXTRAVAGANTLY. — We  speak  here  merely 
with  reference  to  being  rich.  In  morals,  the  inordinate  love  of 
money  is  one  of  the  most  degrading  vices.  But  the  extravagant 
desire  of  accumulation  induces  an  eagerness,  many  times,  which 
is  imprudent,  and  so  misses  its  object  from  too  much  haste  to 
grasp  it. 

DON'T  BE  IN  A  HURRY  TO  GET  RICH. — Gradual  gains  are  the 


FOR   MKRCIUXTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  287 


only  natural  gains  ;  and  they  who  are  in  haste  to  get  rich,  break 
through  sound  rules,  fall  into  temptations  and  distress  of  various 
sorts,  and  generally  fail  of  their  object.  There  is  no  use  in  get- 
ting rich  suddenly.  The  man  who  keeps  his  business  under  his 
control,  and  saves  something  from  year  to  year,  is  always  rich. 
At  any  rate,  he  possesses  the  highest  enjoyment  which  riches  are 
able  to  afford. 

NEVER  DO  BUSINESS  FOR  THE  SAKE  OF  DOING  IT,  AND  BEING 
COUNTED  A  GREAT  MERCHANT. — There  is  often  more  money  to  be 
made  by  a  small  business  than  a  large  one  ;  and  that  business 
will  be,  in  the  end,  most  respectable  which  is  most  successful. 
Do  not  get  deeply  in  debt ;  but  so  manage  as  always,  if  possi- 
ble, to  have  your  financial  position  easy,  so  that  you  can  turn 
any  way  you  please. 

147. 

HAMBURGH  witnessed  a  curious  proceeding  on  the  8th  of 
November,  1847,  as  we  find  it  stated  in  the  "London  Sun." 
The  scaffold  was  erected,  as  for  an  execution,  before  the  principal 
front  of  the  Exchange,  and  at  noon  a  large  furnace  filled  with 
resinous  wood  was  placed  on  it.  The  wood  having  been  set  on 
fire,  the  bell  of  the  Town  Hall  was  rung  violently,  as  is  usual 
during  the  execution  of  decrees  inflicting  infamous  penalties.  At 
the  hour  at  which  merchants  are  assembled  on  the  Exchange, 
the  public  executioner  ascended  the  scaffold,  and,  after  having 
caused  a  drum  to  be  beat,  proclaimed,  in  a  loud  voice,  the  name 
of  a  merchant  who  had  been  declared  guilty  of  a  fraudulent  bank- 
ruptcy, and  who  had  taken  to  flight.  He  then  displayed  to  the 
spectators  an  enormous  placard,  bearing  the  name  of  the  culprit 
in  gigantic  letters.  He  next  caused  the  drum  to  be  beat  a 
second  time,  after  which  he  tossed  the  placard  in  the  flames. 


288  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


148. 

WE  rejoice  at  every  indication  of  life  from  the  pulpit.  The 
pulpit  is  never  more  divine  in  its  ministrations,  than  when  it 
applies  its  teachings  to  the  wants  of  the  age,  or  fearlessly  points 
out  the  dangers  that  beset  us  in  the  ordinary,  every-day  walks  of 
life.  This  simple  remark  is  suggested  to  our  mind,  by  the  publi- 
cation of  a  sermon,  preached  in  Brooklyn,  in  September,  1847, 
by  the  Rev.  FREDERICK  A.  FARLEY,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  his 
ministerial  duties.  The  object  of  the  reverend  gentleman  is,  to 
point  out  some  of  the  dangers  of  a  business  life.  In  the  text, 
or  motto  selected  for  the  occasion,  "be  not  slothful  in  business, 
but  be  fervent  in  spirit,"  etc.,  the  preacher  does  not  deprecate 
the  importance  of  activity  or  industry,  in  the  business  of  life, 
but  the  burthen  of  his  discourse  is  rather  to  show  the  dangers 
peculiar  to  a  too  eager  pursuit  of  gain.  The  first  danger  in  com- 
mercial life  noticed,  is  the  continual,  ever-present  tendency  to 
selfishness.  On  this  head,  Mr.  F.  remarks  : — 

"  No  matter  how  similar  or  how  different  your  occupations, 
my  brethren,  you  are  all  exerting  yourselves  for  yourselves  ;  or, 
which  is  the  same  thing  for  all  practical  purposes,  for  those 
whose  claims  on  you  for  support  are  always  strengthened  by  a 
sense  of  duty,  and  in  most  cases  by  the  ties  of  affection.  There 
is  a  constant  struggle  going  on  for  the  greatest  share  of  patron- 
age and  emolument — an  unintermitted  search  for  means  and 
opportunities  of  peculiar  and  unwonted  profits — a  shifting  of 
expedients  to  build  up  and  magnify  one's  fortune — and  an  anxious, 
and  almost  literally  a  sleepless  vigilance,  to  secure  whatever 
advantages  have  been  gained,  or  whatever  success  is  promised. 
There  is  a  direct  and  incessant  conflict  and  competition  between 
your  own  concerns,  interests,  advancement,  and  those  of  others, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MKN    OF    BUSINESS.  >        289 


ever  bringing  into  action,  and  encouraging  and  indulging  the 
selfish  passions.  Now  these  passions,  thus  powerfully  addressed 
and  excited,  may  become  tyrants  over  your  better  nature — sway- 
ing every  part  of  your  conduct — rendering  you  envious,  narrow- 
minded,  morose,  meanly  and  grossly  avaricious — changing  the  fair 
,  and  noble  enterprise  of  business,  into  a  spirit  of  low  cunning, 
chicanery,  and  intrigue — leading  you  to  throw  every  possible 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  your  neighbor's  success — tempting  you  to 
rejoice,  or  at  least  to  feel  very  complacent,  in  his  failure  or  em- 
barrassment, and  to  stray  from  the  course  of  strict  and  high- 
minded  integrity,  whenever,  by  so  doing,  you  think  you  can  gain 
some  personal  advantage,  or  avert  some  apparently  threatening 
loss.  How  resolutely  should  every  honorable  and  Christian  man 
guard  himself  against  the  encroachments  of  this  most  despicable 
and  dangerous  temper  !  Be  active — I  would  say,  in  the  name 
of  all  that  is  holy,  to  each  one  of  you,  brethren,  be  active — 
industrious — enterprising  ;  but  O,  be  above  any  unworthy  jeal- 
ousy of  others.  Set  the  example  on  all  occasions,  under  all  cir- 
cumstances, of  a  large,  liberal,  generous  spirit.  Let  the  world 
see  that  whatever  success  you  attain,  it  is  only  by  the  legitimate 
exercise  of  the  talents,  means,  and  opportunities  you  can  honestly 
command  ;  taking  no  unfair  advantages  of  others'  straits  or 
calamities,'  but,  on  the  contrary,  showing  a  readiness,  as  far  as 
you  have  ability,  to  relieve  rather  than  crush  them." 

The  second  danger  adverted  to,  is  the  mistake  of  supposing 
that  religion  may  be  safely  and  entirely  separated  from  any  of 
the  common  occupations  in  which  business  men  are  engaged. 
He  was  not  very  far  off  from  the  truth,  who  somewhere  said, 
that  "work  was  worship."  But  let  us  hear  the  substance  of 
Mr.  F.'s  reflections  on  this  point,  as  expressed  in  the  following 

passage : — 

13 


290  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


"Religion  is  designed  to  reach  the  minutest  things  which  we 
do,  to  control  even  our  thoughts,  to  become  indeed  the  dominant 
principle  of  our  characters.  Who,  then,  is  the  religious  man,  in 
the  highest,  the  Christian  sense  ?  Not  he,  surely,  who  appears 
to  be  religious  on  great  occasions,  when  the  eyes  or  ears  of  hund- 
reds or  thousands  are  observing  or  listening  to  him,  but  who,  in 
the  family  retreat,  is  a  source  of  grief  or  pain  or  mortification  to 
the  few,  and  as  they  ought  to  be,  the  beloved  few  around  him. 
Character  is  not  so  tried  or  judged  in  regard  to  anything  else — 
why  should  it  be  in  regard  to  this  ?  The  little  things  in  a  man's 
conduct,  as  they  are  thoughtlessly  called — the  prevailing  air  of 
generous  and  high-souled  virtue — the  constant  and  delicate  respect 
for  the  feelings,  wishes,  even,  I  am  ready  to  say,  the  prejudices 
of  others — the  habitual  love  of  excellence  in  any  sphere  or  walk 
of  life — the  uniform  mildness,  serenity,  benevolence  of  the  disposi- 
tion— the  unshaken  trust  in,  and  loyality  to  God,  and  reverence 
for  his  being  and  perfections — in  a  word,  the  kindness,  generosity, 
integrity,  and  piety  of  his  demeanor,  shown  always,  and  every- 
where, at  home  and  abroad,  not  for  the  sake  of  display,  but 
simply  and  obviously  as  the  result  of  deeply  laid  principle  ever 
operative  within  ;  these  things  I  take  to  be  among  the  strongest 
proofs  that  the  man  is  a  religious  man.  Men  are  very  apt  to 
think,  nevertheless,  engaged  so  constantly,  not  to  say  engrossed  in 
their  business,  that  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  religion,  except 
on  set  occasions  and  in  a  special  and  prescribed  way  ;  and  too 
often  that  it  belongs  to  particular  persons  who  may  be  religious  in 
their  behalf.  So  far  from  the  truth  is  all  this,  that  under  the 
light  and  instruction  of  the  Gospel,  you  ought  to  carry  religion 
with  you  to  the  office,  the  factory,  the  warehouse,  the  workshop, 
the  exchange.  I  do  not  mean  that  you  are  to  carry  there  long 
and  sad  faces,  a  constrained  air  and  manner,  or  the  formal  exer- 


FOB   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS. 


cises  of  devotion.  None  of  these  alone,  nor  all  of  them  put 
together,  would  prove  you  religious.  No.  But  an  inflexible 
love  of  honest,  generous,  upright  dealing  between  man  and 
man  ;  an  bumble,  forbearing,  forgiving,  conciliating  disposition  ; 
showing  you  ever,  in  that  crowded  and  exciting  arena,  to  be 
superior  to  the  world  ;  not  absorbed  in  its  pursuits,  not  wholly 
fascinated  by  its  charms,  not  willing  on  any  occasion,  or  for  any 
temporal  bribe,  to  compromise  your  conscientious  sense  of  what, 
in  the  strictest  sense,  is  right  in  the  sight  of  God.  This  it  is,  to 
be  religious  in  one's  business  ;  to  refer  all  that  you  do,  in  every 
business  transaction  and  engagement,  always  and  alone,  to  that 
moral  standard  which  God  himself  has  set  up." 

The  preacher  is  right  in  affirming,  that  the  standard  of  char- 
acter among  business  men  is  in  danger  of  being  lowered.  A 
single  passage  from  this  portion  of  the  homily,  will,  perhaps,  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  a  danger  that  every  one  must  feel  him 
self  exposed  to. 

"Amid  the  excitement  of  business,  where  each  man  is  apt 
exclusively  to  seek  his  own,  and  not  another's  welfare,  the  lowest 
rather  than  the  highest  standard  of  moral  obligation  will  prevail 
and  be  followed.  It  is  not  the  future  so  much  as  the  present, 
which  is  thought  of.  An  individual  will  be  far  more  likely  to  ask 
himself,  in  some  great  exigency,  what  is  the  law,  the  public  law 
of  the  land — rather  than  what  is  right,  strictly,  unqualifiedly, 
truly  right,  by  the  law  of  God.  Accordingly,  such  a  man  will, 
without  the  slightest  compunction  or  uneasiness,  transgress  the 
Christian  law  of  equity  and  of  kindness.  In  the  transaction  of 
business,  some  men  are  daily  and  hourly  manifesting  an  unwill- 
ingness to  accommodate  each  other,  a  want  of  regard  to  the 
welfare  of  others,  a  reluctance  to  sacrifice  the  slightest  personal 
convevience  or  profit,  and  a  readiness  to  seize  on  every  little 


292  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


petty  circumstance  which  may  result  to  their  own  benefit,  even 
though,  by  so  doing,  they  may  essentially  injure  others  ; — things 
which,  in  the  intercourse  of  private  and  social  life,  even  they 
would  condemn  as  breaches  of  the  commonest  charities  and  cour- 
tesies of  life.  Beware,  brethren,  of  this  !  Let  the  unadulterated 
spirit  and  principles  of  the  Gospel,  in  all  their  fullness  and  strict- 
ness of  requisition,  go  with  and  guide  you  in  every  concern  in 
which  you  engage.  In  the  event,  sooner  or  later,  you  will  find 
you  have  gained  much — much  every  way,  for  the  want  of  which 
nothing  could  compensate  ;  much  in  peace  of  conscience — in  its 
silent,  but  deeply-felt  approval — in  the  assurance  which  that 
makes  doubly  sure  of  the  favor  of  God." 

The  preacher  closes  his  rather  generalizing  view  of  the  dangers 
of  a  business  life,  with  a  brief  reference  to'the  tendency  to  forget 
that  life,  the  present  life,  is  not  the  whole  of  existence.  It  seems 
to  us,  that  we  should  view  the  life  that  now  is,  as  the  CQmmeuce- 
ment  of  a  conscious  eternity  of  being  ;  and,  without  taking 
anxious  thought  for  the  future,  develop,,  no  matter  at  what  cost, 
those  faculties  of  mind  and  body  that  must  enhance  the  blessed- 
ness of  the  unfathomable  and  never-ending  future.  The  kingdom 
of  heaven  is  within  us,  now  and  forever,  and  should  be  as  much 
so  in  the  body  as  out  of  it. 

149. 

ASCERTAIN  the  whole  state  of  your  affairs.  Learn  exactly  how 
much  you  owe.  Be  not  guilty  of  deceiving  yourself.  .You  may 
thus  awaken  suspicions  of  dishonesty,  when  your  intentions  were 
far  otherwise.  Deliberately  and  fully  make  up  your  mind,  that 
come  what  will,  you  will  practice  no  concealment,  or  trick,  which 
might  have  the  appearance  of  fraud.  Openness  and  candor 
command  respect  among  all  good  men. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OP   BUSINESS.  293 


150. 

x" 

IT  is  a  peculiar  vice  of  our  age  and  country  to  put  a  false  esti- 
mate on  the  mere  acquisition  of  riches.  I  do  not  either  under- 
value wealth  or  the  diligence  and  enterprise  so  often  exercised  in 
its  attainment.  I  would  not  say  a  word  to  throw  a  doubt  on 
the  importance  of  acquiring  such  a  measure  of  this  world's  goods 
as  to  render  one  independent,  and  able  to  assist  others.  The 
young  man  who  thinks  he  can  amuse  or  employ  himself  as  he 
sees  fit,  at  the  same  tune  throwing  the  burden  of  his  support  on 
others,  or  leading  a  precarious  life  on  the  verge  of  debt  and 
bankruptcy,  is  a  dishonor  to  his  species.  But  I  assert  that  the 
too  common  mistake,  which  makes  men  look  upon  the  acquisition 
of  a  fortune,  or  having  a  fine  and  fashionable  house,  as  consti- 
tuting success  in  life,  as  pernicious.  Success  in  life  consists  in 
the  proper  and  harmonious  development  of  those  faculties  which 
God  has  given  us.  Now  we  have  faculties  more  important  to 
our  welfare  than  that  of  making  money — faculties  more  conducive 
to  our  happiness,  and  our  health  of  body  and  soul.  There  are 
higHer  and  better  modes  of  activity  than  those  which  are  exhib- 
ited in  multiplying  dollars.  Men  can  leave  to  their  children  a 
better  patrimony  than  money;  they  can  leave  them  the  worth  of 
a  good  example,  good  habits,  a  religious  faith,  a  true  estimate  of 
the  desirable  things  of  this  life  ;  resources  of  mind  and  a  heart 
which  will  shed  sunshine  on  adversity,  and  give  a  grace  to 
prosperous  fortune.  "It  is  not  wealth  which  is  deserving  of 
homage,  but  the  virtues  which  a  man  exercises  in  the  slow  pur- 
suit of  wealth — the  abilities  so  called  forth,  the  self-denials  so 
imposed." 

I  have  heard  of  two  brothers,  whose  father  died,  leaving  them 
five  hundred  dollars  apiece. 


294  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


"  I  will  take  this  money  and  make  myself  a  rich  man,"  said 
Henry,  the  younger  brother.  "  I  will  take  this  money  and  make 
myself  a  good  man,"  said  George,  the  elder.  Henry,  who  knew 
the  multiplication  table  only,  abandoned  all  thoughts  of  going  to 
school,  and  began  by  peddling  in  a  small  way,  over  the  country. 
He  was  shrewd,  and  quick  to  learn  whatever  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  ;  and  he  gave  all  his  attention  to  making  money.  He 
succeeded.  In  one  year  his  five  hundred  dollars  had  become  a 
thousand.  In  five  years  it  had  grown  to  be  twenty  thousand  ; 
and  at  the  age  of  fifty  he  was  worth  a  million.  George  remem- 
bered the  words  of  the  wise  man  :  "  With  thy  gettings  get 
understanding."  He  spent  two-thirds  of  his  money  in  going  to 
school,  and  acquiring  a  taste  for  solid  knowledge.  He  then 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  patrimony  in  purchasing  a  few  acres 
of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  thriving  city.  He  resolved  on 
being  a  farmer. 

After  a  lapse  of  thirty-five  years  the  two  brothers  met.  It 
was  at  George's  house.  A  bright,  vigorous,  alert  man  was 
George,  though  upwards  of  fifty-five  years  old.  Henry,  though 
several  years  younger  was  very  infirm.  He  had  kept  in  the 
counting-room  long  after  the  doctors  had  warned  him  to  give  up 
business,  and  now  he  found  himself  stricken  in  healthiness  beyond 
repair.  But  this  was  not  the  worst.  He  was  out  of  his  element 
when  not  making  money.  George  took  him  into  the  library  and 
showed  him  a  fine  collection  of  books.  Poor  Henry  had  never 
cultivated  a  taste  for  reading.  He  looked  upon  the  books  with 
no  more  interest  than  he  would  have  looked  on  so  many  bricks. 
George  took  him  into  his  garden,  but  Henry  began  to  cough, 
and  said  he  was  afraid  of  the  east  wind.  When  George  pointed 
out  to  him  a  beautiful  elm,  he  only  cried  "  Pshaw  !"  George 
took  him  into  his  green-house  and  talked  with  enthusiasm  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  295 


some  flowers,  which  seemed  to  give  the  farmer  great  pleasure. 
Henry  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  yawned,  saying,  "Ah  !  I  don't 
care  for  these  things."  George  asked  him  if  he  was  fond  of 
paintings  and  engravings.  "  No,  no  !  don't  trouble  yourself," 
said  Henry,  "I  cant  tell  one  daub  from  another."  "Well,  you 
shall  hear  my  daughter  Edith  play  upon  the  piano  ;  she  is  no 
ordinary  performer,  I  assure  you."  "  Now  don't,  brother,  don't, 
if  you  love  me,"  said  Henry,  beseechingly;  "I  never  could  endure 
music."  "  But  what  can  I  do  to  amuse  you  ?  Will  yon  take  a 
ride  ?"  "  I  am  afraid  of  a  horse.  But  if  you  will  drive  me  care- 
fully down  to  your  village  Bank,  I  will  stop  and  have  a  chat 
with  the  President."  Poor  Henry  I  Money  was  uppermost  in 
his  mind.  To  it  he  sacrificed  every  other  good  thing.  When,  a 
few  days  afterwards  he  parted  from  his  farmer  brother,  he  laid 
his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  said: — "George,  you  can  just 
snpport  yourself  comfortably  on  the  interest  of  your  money,  and 
I  have  got  enough  to  buy  up  the  whole  of  your  town,  bank  and 
all — and  yet,  your  life  has  been  a  success,  and  mine  a  dead 
failure  ! "  Sad  but  true  words. 

151. 

THE  personal  accomplishments  and  public  spirit,  by  which  the 
higher  class  of  mercantile  pursuits  would  be  greatly  ennobled  as 
a  department  of  human  life,  and  made  more  influential,  must  be 
built  of  many  important  qualifications. 

The  great  merchant  should  be  half  a  statesman.  His  occupa- 
tion of  itself,  when  conducted  on  the  broadest  scale,  demands  the 
exercise  of  that  wide  and  comprehensive  vision  requisite  for  the 
operations  of  a  chief  minister,  or  a  general,  whose  plans  of  cam- 
paigns cover  half  a  continent.  If,  in  addition  to  his  own  for- 
tunes, he  would  understand  and  advance  the  great  interests  of 


296  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


his  country,  his  qualities  and  acquirements  must  be  much  ampler. 
To  give  him  such  capacities,  what  and  how  great  training  is 
necessary.  For  our  own  part,  we  would  advocate  the  establish- 
ment, in  our  schools  and  colleges,  of  a  distinct  branch  of  commer- 
cial studies,  with  its  own  professorships,  by  which  those  designing 
to  follow  the  more  enterprising  pursuits  of  trade  should  have  their 
grasp  of  mind  enlarged,  and  their  views  rendered  more  liberal  and 
enlightened.  We  do  not  know  why  commercial  knowledge — a 
knowledge  embracing  the  products  and  essential  interests  of  dif- 
ferent countries,  their  relations  to  each  other,  together  with  the 
principles  of  maritime  and  international  law — why  a  pursuit, 
thus  covering  the  world  with  its  observations  and  its  action,  is 
not  a  science  as  much  as  any  other,  and  to  be  mastered  with  as 
severe  and  regular  study. 

This  much  for  his  department  of  life  as  an  occupation  ;  but 
the  merchant  should  have  more  than  this  would  argue.  He 
should  Be  accomplished  in  many  things,  like  any  other  person,  in 
the  community,  of  cultivated  mind.  His  pursuits  must  necessa- 
rily be  very  engrossing  ;  but  they  need  not  be  so  to  the  exclusion 
of  those  gentlemanly  tastes  and  acquirements  which  would  place 
the  mercantile  business,  in  its  more  general  departments,  on  a 
level,  intellectually  and  socially,  with  the  learned  professions. 
Why  should  not  a  merchant  have  cultivated  a  very  thorough 
knowledge  of  literature,  a  taste  in  architecture — one  of  the 
noblest  of  studies — a  love  for  sculpture  and  paintings,  a  delight 
in  landscape  and  garden  ornation  ?  These  things  should  form  a 
part  of  his  education  ;  and  they  need  not  afterwards  interfere 
with  the  full  prosecution  of  business.  He  has  wealth  to  support 
his  tastes,  which  many,  if  not  most,  professional  and  sedentary 
men  have  not ;  why  should  the  sense  of  the  beautiful  slumber  in 
him  ?  Not  many,  perhaps,  are  formed  to  have  a  taste  for  all 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   6P   BUSINESS.  297 


these  ;  but  some  part  of  them  mnst  appeal  to  the  perceptions  of 
every  one  ;  and  why  should  the  man  of  traffic  pour  away  the  wine 
of  life,  satisfying  himself  with  the  dregs,  though  they  be  of  gold  ? 
If,  to  this  statesman-like  scope  of  vision,  and  these  refinements 
of  mind,  he  add  an  understanding  of  the  great  moral  and  social 
interests  of  his  country  and  the  world,  and  the  abiding  disposition 
to  help  them  forward,  what  one  of  all  the  professions  which  men 
follow,  would  be  more  worthy  of  honor,  or  of  envy,  than  the 
profession  of  THE  MERCHANT  ? 

152. 

NOTHING  is  more  common  than  to  hear  men  complain  that  the 
chances  of  success  lessen  every  day  ;  that  every  avenue  of  busi- 
ness is  overcrowded,  and  unless  a  man  be  a  perfect  Hercules  ^of 
talent  he  is  elbowed  out  of  the  way  and  prevented  from  "getting 
on,"  hi  life,  to  languish  in  obscurity  and  pine  in  neglect ;  to  grow 
old,  in  short,  before  his  time, -and  die  at  last  of  disappointment 
and  heart-sickness.  Undoubtedly  there  are  many  instances  in 
which  society  is  to  blame,  many  sad  instances  of  capacity  over- 
looked, and  talents  slighted;  but  the  complaint,  as  a  general 
thing,  is  false  and  foolish,  and  the  evil  is  in  the  complainer,  and 
not  in  society.  Men  often  miscalculate  their  own  powers  and 
mistake  their  line.  The  speech  of  a  wealthy  citizen,  when  asked 
how  he  made  his  money,  is  the  answer  to  ah1  such  railers  against 
society.  "  Sir,"  said  he,  "I  understood  my  business  and 
attended  to  it,  and  if  I  were  poor  again  to-morrow,  I  could 
commence  as  an  ashman  and  make  a  fortune  if  God  spared  me 
life  and  health  to  work."  A  knowledge  of  our  own  capacities, 
and.  fixed  and  steady  aim,  in  short,  steadiness  of  purpose  and 
steady  consistent  effort  are  the  conditions  of  success,  and  almost 

invariably  command  it. 

13* 


298  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


153. 

IT  was  the  custom  of  the  Rev.  ROWLAND  HILL,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  a  new  year,  to  preach  an  annual  sermon  for  the 
"  Benevolent  Society  of  Surrey  Chapel,  for  visiting  and  relieving 
the  Sick  Poor  at  their  own  Habitations,"  selecting,  at  the  same 
time,  a  few  of  the  most  remarkable  cases  to  read  to  his  congre- 
gation, that  had  been  visited  during  the  preceding  year.  On  one 
of  these  occasions,  he  narrated  the  afflictive  circumstances  of  a 
lady,  formerly  of  property  and  respectability,  who  had  been 
plunged  into  the  depths  of  poverty  and  want,  in  a  time  of  sick- 
ness, through  having  imprudently  become  security  for  some  rela- 
tion or  friend ;  and  Mr.  Hill  took  this  opportunity  of  publicly 
warning  and  entreating  all  present  to  be  on  their  guard  against 
committing  so  fatal  an  error.  "  I  would  advise  all  my  friends," 
eaid  he,  "to  do  the  same  as  I  do  myself,  when  any  request  of 
this  kind  comes  to  me.  I  just  walk  out  of  one  room  into  another, 
and  consider  what  I  can  afford  to  give,  and  what  I  ought  to  give 
to  the  applicant ;  then  I  return  and  say — '  Here,  my  friend,  I 
make  you  a  present  of  this  sum, -and  if  you  can  get  a  few  others 
to  help  you  in  the  same  way,  perhaps  you  will  get  over  your 
difficulty.'  Then,"  said  Mr.  Hill,  with  emphasis,  "I  know  the 
end  of  it ;  but  were  I  to  lend  my  name,  or  become  surety,  I  know 
not  how  that  might  end." 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  he  was  waited  on,  a  few  months 
after  this,  by  one  of  the  members  of  the  church,  soliciting  his 
kind  assistance  in  procuring  him  a  lucrative  situation,  then  vacant 
in  that  parish  and  district,  viz :  a  collector  of  the  king's  taxes  ; 
the  person  urged  that  it  would  be  the  making  of  him  and  his 
family,  but  that  he  must  have  two  bondsmen  for  one  thousand 
pounds  each.  Mr.  Hill  said  he  would  consider  of  it.  This  peti- 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  299 


tioner  was  well  known  to  Mr.  Hill ;  he  had  long  held  a  confiden- 
tial situation  in  his  chapel,  and  was,  besides,  in  a  good  trade  and 
connection  of  business,  with  his  friends.  There  was  no  reason  to 
doubt  his  integrity;  and  he  was  one  that  Mr.  Hill  was  desirous 
to  oblige.  The  result  was,  he  became  one  of  his  securities,  and 
prevailed  on  a  gentleman,  at  Clapham,  to  be  the  other  ;  and  the 
situation  was  obtained.  Alas  !  alas  !  for  poor  Mr.  Hill  and  his 
brother  bondsman  !  In  three  or  four  years,  the  collector  was  a 
defaulter  to  the  amount  of  thousands.  The  securities  were 
obliged  to  pay. 

154. 

IN  the  year  1805,  a  small  tradesman,  in  a  country-town  in 
Somersetshire,  became  so  much  embarrassed,  that  he  thought  it 
no  more  than  an  honest  part  to  make  known  the  situation  of  his 
affairs  to  his  creditors.  The  consequent  investigation  which  took 
place,  terminated  in  an  assignment  of  his  effects,  which,  when 
sold,  produced  a  dividend  of  nine  shillings  and  fourpence  in  the 
pound,  and  he  received  a  discharge  from  all  further  claims.  But, 
although  thus  legally  acquitted,  and  with  little  prospect  of  realiz- 
ing his  intention,  this  honest  man  formed  the  honorable  resolution 
of,  at  least,  attempting  what  appeared  to  him  the  obligations  of 
unalterable  justice,  by  making  up  the  deficiency  to  all  his  creditr 
ors.  •  It  is  true,  the  sum  required  was  small,  not  quite  ninety 
pounds  ;  but  his  means  were  proportionably  inadequate,  having 
now  nothing  but  his  daily  labor  from  which  it  could  be  obtained, 
after  defraying  the  necessary  expenses  ;  and  his  wages  were  dis- 
couragingly  low,  not  averaging  more  than  twelve  shillings  per 
week.  Mean  accommodations  and  clothing,  hard  fare,  and  hard 
work,  at  length  enabled  him,  through  the  Divine  blessing,  to 
accomplish  his  purpose.  The  creditors  were  all  paid  in  full,  and 


300  MAXIMS,    MOKALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


they  esteemed  his  integrity  so  highly,  that  they  thought  proper 
to  acknowledge  their  sense  of  it  by  a  handsome  present. 

155. 

A  GENTLEMAN  of  Boston,  says  a  religious  journal,  who  was 
unfortunate  in  business  thirty  years  ago,  and  consequently  unable 
at  that  time  to  meet  his  engagements  with  his  creditors,  after 
more  than  twenty  years  of  toil,  succeeded  in  paying  every  creditor 
(except  one  whose  residence  could  not  be  ascertained)  the  whole 
amount  due  them.  He  has  in  that  twenty  years  brought  up  and 
educated  a  large  family — but  still  he  owed  one  of  his  former 
creditors  ;  he  was  not  satisfied  to  keep  another's  property;  he 
made  inquiry,  and  received  information  that  the  party  had  died 
some  years  since.  He  again  pursued  his  inquiry  respecting  the 
administrator,  and  ascertained  his  name  and  residence,  wrote  to 
him,  acknowledged  the  debt,  and  requested  him  to  inform  him  of 
the  manner  he  would  receive  the  money.  A  few  days  since  he 
remitted  the  whole  amount,  principal  and  interest. 

156. 

>      * 

Dr.  FRANKLIN  relates  the  following  anecdote  of  Mr.  Denharo, 
an  American  merchant,  with  whom  he  once  went  a  passenger  to 
England.  "He  had  formerly,"  he  says,  "been  in  business  at 
Bristol,  had  failed,  in  debt  to  a  number  of  people,  compounded, 
and  went  to  America  ;  there,  by  a  close  application  to  business 
as  a  merchant,  he  acquired  a  plentiful  fortune  in  a  few  years. 
Returning  to  England  in  the  ship  with  me,  he  invited  his  old 
creditors  to  an  entertainment,  at  which  he  thanked  them  for  the 
easy  compensation  they  had  favored  him  with  ;  and,  when  they 
expected  nothing  but  the  treat,  every  man,  at  the  first  remove, 
found  under  his  plate  an  order  on  a  banker  for  the  f»U  »" 
of  the  unpaid  remainder,  with  interest. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  301 


157. 

A  PERSON  of  the  Quaker  profession,  says  a  Loudon  paper, 
having,  through  misfortune,  become  insolvent,  and  not  being  able 
to  pay  more  than  eleven  shillings  to  the  pound,  formed  a  resolu- 
tion, if  Providence  smiled  on  his  future  endeavors,  to  pay  the 
whole  amount,  and,  in  case  of  death,  he  ordered  his  sons  to 
liquidate  his  debts  by  their  joint  exertions.  It  .pleased  God, 
however,  to  spare  his  life,  and,  after  struggling  with  a  variety  of 
difficulties,  (for  his  livelihood  chiefly  depended  on  his  own  labor,) 
he  at  length  saved  sufficient  to  satify  every  demand.  One  day 
the  old  man  went  with  a  considerable  sum  to  the  surviving  son 
of  one  of  his  creditors,  who  had  been  dead  thirty  years,  and 
insisted  on  paying  him  the  jnoney  he  owed  his  father,  which  he 
accordingly  did  with  heartfelt  satisfaction. 

158. 

IRVING,  in  his  life  of  Washington,  dwells  on  the  particularity 
with  which  the  great  hero  attended  to  the  minutest  affairs. .  The 
Father  of  his  Country,  as  his  correspondence  and  account  books 
show,  was  "  careful  of  small  things,"  as  well  as  of  great,  not  dis- 
daining to  scrutinize  the  most  petty  expense  of  his  household ; 
and  this  even  while  acting  as  the  first  magistrate  of  the  first 
republic  in  the  world.  In  private  circles  in  this  city,  tradition 
preserves  numerous  anecdotes  of  this  characteristic,  which,  if 
necessary,  we  could  quote. 

The  example  of  Washington,  in  this  respect,  might  teach  an 
instructive  lesson  to  those  who  scorn  what  they  call  "petty" 
details.  There  are  thousands  of  such  individuals  in  every  com- 
munity. We  ah1  know  more  or  less  of  them.  Nothing  is  worthy 
of  attention,  in  their  opinion,  unless  it  can  be  conducted  on  a 


302  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


grand  scale.  They  will  not  condescend  to  the  pennies,  it  is  only 
the  dollars  to  which  they  will  attend.  They  spurn  a  small 
business.  They  talk  superciliously  of  those  who  overlook  the 
little  leakages  that  waste  so  much  money  hi  every  concern.  •  To 
hear  them,  one  might  think  they  were  above  the  ordinary  affairs 
of  life,  and  that  nothing  was  worthy  of  their  time,  except  discov- 
ering a  California  or  conquering  a  kingdom. 

Yet  no  man  ever  made  a  fortune,  or  rose  to  greatness  in  any 
department,  without  being  "careful  of  small  things."  As  the 
beach  is  composed  of  grains  of  sand,  as  the  ocean  is  made  up  of 
drops  of  water,  so  the  millionaire  is  the  aggregation  of  the  profits 
of  single  ventures,  often  inconsiderable  in  amount.  Every  emi- 
nent merchant,  from  Girard  and  Astor  down,  has  been  noted 
for  his  attention  to  details.  Few  distinguished  lawyers  have  ever 
practiced  in  the  courts,  who  have  not  been  remarkable  for  a 
similar  characteristic.  It  was  one  of  the  most  striking  peculiari- 
ties of  the  first  Napoleon's  mind.  The  most  petty  details  of  his 
household  expenses,  the  most  trivial  facts  relating  to  his  troops, 
were,  in  his  opinion,  as  worthy  of  his  attention,  as  the  tactic  of  a 
battle,  the  plan  of  a  campaign,  or  the  revision  of  a  code. 
Demosthenes,  the  world's  unrivalled  orator,  was  as  anxious  about 
gestures  or  his  intonation,  as  about  the  texture  of  his  argument 
or  its  garniture  of  words.  Before  such  great  "examples,  and  in 
the  very  highest  walks  of  intellect,  how  contemptible  the  conduct 
of  the  small  minds  who  despise  small  things. 

159. 

IT  is  said  that,  by  a  statute  of  King  ATHELSTANE,  grandson 
of  Alfred,  it  was  provided  that  any  merchant  who  made  three 
voyages,  on  his  own  account,  beyond  the  British  channel,  should 
be  entitled  to  the  privilege  of  a  thane,  or  gentleman. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  303 


160. 

EVERY  workman  will  tell  you  that  a  good  tool  requires  a  good 
man,  and  that,  unless  a  man  either  understands  a  tool,  or  takes 
kindly  to  it,  he  had  better  not"be  permitted  to  touch  it.  All  the 
vast  facilities  afforded  to  us  by  our  command  of  the  sea,  the  use 
of  steam,  and  such  a  fleet  as  the  world  never  saw,  are  lost  on 
men  who  imagine  themselves  waging  war  in  the  interior  of  Spain, 
and  have  settled  in  their  minds  that  dysentery,  half-rations,  inces- 
sant exposure,  nakedness,  abandonment  of  baggage,  frightful 
mortality,  the  utter  absence  of  roads,  and  general  disorganization 
are  the  normal  conditions  of  war,  and  need  excite  no  concern  at 
head-quarters.  Great  generals  have  ever  been  men  in  advance 
of  their  times.  Alexander  was  not  a  mere  ingredient  of  the 
Macedonian  phalanx  ;  he  was  one  of  the  first  gentlemen  of  his 
day,  literary  and  accomplished,  surrounded  by  philosophers  and 
savans,  and  always  ready  to  profit  by  their  suggestions.  Hanni- 
bal's versatility  and  ingenuity  are  notorious.  Caesar  was  always 
in  advance  of  his  foes,  and  made  a  point  of  arriving  earlier  than 
even  his  friends  expected.  With  twenty  days'  notice  he  made  an 
earthwork  as  many  miles  long,  which  answered  its  purpose,  and 
survives  to  this  day.  He  was  always  looking  to  his  commissariat 
in  time,  detecting  conspiracies  long  before  they  ripened.  He  was 
the  best  engineer  of  his  time,  no  one  knowing  better  the  construc- 
tion of  such  engines  of  war  as  were  used  in  those  days.  He 
conquered  a  nation  of  pirates  on  then*  own  element,  and  when 
they  thought  to  steal  a  march  on  him  by  cutting  the  tackle  of 
his  ships,  he  disconcerted  them  by  the  use  of  chains,  instead  of 
ropes.  Had  he  waged  war  only  as  Scipio  Africanus,  or  Marius 
and  Sylla,  or  even  Pompey  had  done,  he  would  soon  have 
succumb  to  a  world  of  foes  and  rivals.  But  he  beat  the  age  by 
being  always  in  advance  of  it.  That  is  still  the  only  way. 


304  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


161. 

BONDS,  Notes,  Covenants,  Contracts,  and  all  the  forms  of 
carefully  drawn,  signed  and  sealed  instruments,  have  their  places 
in  business  life.  No  man's  integrity  is  questioned  by  his  being 
requested,  in  any  transaction,  to  have  appropriate  papers  drawn, 
obligations  written,  and  copies  exchanged.  To  take  a  bill,  or  to 
give  a  bill,  is  always  right  ;  and  there  cannot  be,  many  times, 
too  much  attention  given  to  put  into  a  written  form,  business 
agreements,  in  view  of  the  forgetfulness,  misunderstanding,  vicissi- 
tudes and  death  of  the  best  of  men.  But  allowing  all  this,  and 
urging  the  obligations  of  honor  which  necessarily  enter  into  all 
these  transactions,  there  is  another  matter  wholly  covered  by  the 
sanctions  of  honor  between  man  and  man — transactions  where 
written  statements  and  expectations  are  excluded,  and  where  the 
reliance  is  and  must  be  entirely  on  the  honor  of  the  trusted  party 
— his  strength  of  principle  in  adhering  to  the  understood  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him,  and  without  which  confidence  no  business 
would  have  been  done  with  him  at  'all;  To  give  a  plain  illustra- 
tion, we  will  take  a  common  case  :  A  trader  becomes  suddenly 
embarrassed  in  his  business  ;  he  desires  to  deal  on  just  principles 
with  all  his  creditors,  and  while  looking  about  him  for  the  best 
method  of  operation,  he  asks  of  a  friend  to  become  the  receiver 
of  some  portion  of  his  property.  That  friend  accepts  the  trust. 
He  knows  what  a  degree  of  confidence  is  reposed  in  him  by  the 
other,  and  an  obligation  is  assumed  as  clear  and  obvious  as  any 
where  papers  are  drawn  up  with  superior  skill.  If  he  has  any 
suspicion  of  fraud,  he  has  a  perfect  right  to  decline  to  receive 
the  said  property;  he  can  properly  state  his  suspicions  and,  if  he 
feels  morally  impelled,  he  can  justly  administer  a  rebuke  of  any 
attempt  to  make  him  a  party  in  a  fraudulent  transaction.  But 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  305 


if  without  anything  of  this  kind,  he  receives  the  property,  he 
becomes  his  guardian  on  the  score  of  honor,  to  return  it  to  the 
owner.  It  would  be  dishonorable  thus  to  hold  property  ;  and, 
at  the  same  time,  to  expose  it  to  attachment  by  a  creditor  of  its 
owner.  If  his  interest  in  a  creditor  is  such  that  he  thinks  no 
property  should,  for  any  length  of  time,  be  held  back  from  said 
creditor,  he  can  relinquish  the  guardianship  thereof,  and  then 
govern  himself  according  to  the  new  relations  he  holds  towards 
it.  Obligations  of  honor  may  then  impel  him  to  expose  the 
existence  and  the  where-abouts  of  said  property,  because  the 
relations  of  honor  are  changed.  He  has  settled  with  the  owner  ; 
lie  is  released  entirely  from  him  ;  and  his  duty  may  now,  in  the 
way  of  honor,  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  interest  of.  the  creditor 
only. 

Now  we  heard  this  reasoning  called  "  loose  morality"  the  other 
day,  but  we  maintain  there  is  nothing  loose  about  it.  It  is  tight 
as  true,  manly  honor.  It  is  manifestly  in  harmony  with  the  only 
principles  on  which  society  can  exist.  It  is  based  on  the  honor 
which  alone  can  give  just  rules  of  conduct  in  business  life.  The 
"loose  morality"  is  where  a  man  will  assume  to  act,  under  the 
given  circumstances,  the  guardian  of  a  friend's  property,  with  no 
more  idea  of  honor,  or  no  higher  idea  of  honor,  than  is  compati- 
ble with  an  exposure  of  that  property  to  that  friends'  creditors. 
He  knows  that  no  confidence  would  have  been  reposed  hi  him 
had  the  friend  dreamed  that  such  a  course  was  regarded  right 
by  him.  He  therefore  violates  honor,  the  sanctity  of  which  is 
worth  a  martyr's  struggle  to  defend  untarnished  and  complete. 

We  have  used  this  illustration  only  to  give  force  to  our  com- 
mendation of  the  principle  involved — honor  in  business  life.  In 
mercantile  circles  we  not  uufrequently  hear  regrets  expressed  that 
many  business  men  do  not  regard  manly  honor  more,  being 


306  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


governed  by  a  low  expediency,  and  resorting  to  shifts  and  turns 
that  show  they  are  to  be  kept  straight  only  by  that  coarse  of 
dealing  which  pre-supposes  a  slippery  character  is  being  dealt 
with.  When,  like  Shylock,  they  are  ready  to  draw  some  honest 
merchant's  blood,  their  hope,  while  they  tremble  at  the  fear  of 
loss  is,  that  they  may,  by  some  oversight,  have  admitted  much 
"in  the  bond."  Shakespeare  pictures,  too,  the  Jew  trembling  as 
he  has  been  told  to  take  his  "pound  of  flesh,"  but  to  draw  not 
one  drop  of  blood  !  He  is  not  on  his  own  ground,  and  hastily 
grasping  the  written  contract  on  which  he  lent  his  gold,  he 
exclaims,  "Is  it  in  the  bond'?"  and  his  eye  scans  the  document 
with  fearful  intensity.  No  1  "  in  the  bond"  was  not  written  what 
he  was  bent  on  having — a  merchant's  life  ;  and  "in  the  bond" 
was  not  the  place  to  look  for  the  eternal  law  that  forbade  his 
drawing,  for  mercenary  purposes,  human  bloodv  He  was  baffled, 
and  humanity  applauded  the  result  of  woman's  wit  against  a  Jew- 
broker's  cunning.  So  in  society  about  us — there  is  always  a  real 
satisfaction  when  those  are  foiled  who  discard  all  obligations 
of  honor. 

No  more  splendid  compliment  is  possible,  it  seems  to  us,  than 
that  which  the  Hon.  Horace  Binney  once  gave  to  the  char- 
acter of  Philadelphia  business  men,  in  reference  to  this  matter 
of  honor,  he  being  himself  one  of  those  men  who  show  us  that 

"  Rightly  to  be  great, 
Is,  not  to  stir  without  great  argument, 
But  greatly  to  find  quarrel  in  a  straw 
When  honor's  at  the  stake." 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Binney  said  :  "In  the  course  of  an 
active  professional  life,  I  had  constant  opportunities  to  observe 
how  vastly  the  cases  of  good  faith  among  merchants  and  men  of 
business  in  this  city,  outnumbered  the  cases  of  an  opposite 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  307 


description,  where  at  the  same  time  there  was  neither  formal 
security,  nor  competent  proof  to  insure  fidelity.  I  should  say  the 
proportion  was  greater  than  a  thousand  to  one." 

What  a  tribute  is  this  to  the  faithful  regard  to  manly  honor 
on  the  part  of  the  business  men  of  this  city.  It  is  good  to  read 
it,  to  remember  it,  to  cherish  the  spirit  it  expresses,  and  so  to  be 
governed  by  it,  that  illustrations  of  its  beauty  and  dignity  may 
never  be  wanting  in  our  community. 

162. 

WHEN  a  man  of  limited  means,  undertakes  any  important 
project,  requiring  energy,  skill  and  dexterous  management,  and 
succeeds,  not  only  in  accomplishing  the  object  undertaken,  but 
derives  therefrom  a  fair  competence,  and  amasses  a  tolerable  for- 
tune from  his  small  beginnings,  the  world  at  large  call  the  indi- 
vidual fortunate,  and  ascribe  his  success  to  good  look  ;  but  in 
general  terms,  if  there  is  any  luck  in  the  matter,  it  is  the  luck  of 
possessing  an  active  temperament,  and  a  liberal  disposition.  It 
is  an  awkward  thing  to  launch  into  business  without  the  usual 
allowance  of  capital,  but  this  is  not  the  thing  most  needed  by  a 
young  man  about  engaging  in  commercial  or  mercantile  pursuits. 
A  liberal,  but  daring  disposition,  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
ones  business,  are  indispensible  requisites,  and  these  in  time, 
conquer  capital ;  but  money  will  never  purchase  a  business 
character. 

We  would  not  refer  to  extreme  cases  of  beggars  becoming 
millionaire,  or  of  some  suicidal  miser,  who  from  a  paltry  shilling 
had  raised  a  hundred  thousand  ;  fixed  principles,  fixed  habits — 
a  stern  and  unflinching  character,  yet  honest,  familiar,  good 
natured  and  agreeable.  These  are  some  of  the  characteristics  of 
the  business  man.  These  are  the  tools  with  which  multitudes 


308  MAXIMS,    MOKALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


have  qarved  out  their  fortunes,  and  with 'which  multitudes  have 
constructed  a  highway  to  fame.  .  c* 

We  like  the  advice  of  Mr.  JOHN  McDoNouoH,  late  a  merchant 
in  New  Orleans : 

"  Remember  always,  that  labor  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  our 
existence.  Time  is  gold  ;  throw  not  one  minute  away,  but  place 
each  one  to  account.  Do  unto  all  men  as  you  would  be  done  by. 
Never  put  off  till  to-morrow  what  you  can  do  to-day.  Never 
bid  another  to  do  what  you  can  do  yourself.  Never  covet  what 
is  not  your  own.  Never  think  any  matter  so  trifling  as  not  to 
deserve  notice.  Never  give  out  that  which  does  not  first  come 
in.  Never  spend  but  to  produce.  Let  the  greatest  order  regu- 
late the  transactions  of  your  life.  Study  in  your  course  of  life 
to  do  the  greatest  amount  of  good.  Deprive  yourself  of 
nothing  necessary  to  your  comfort,  but  live  in  honorable  sim- 
plicity and  frugality.  'Labor  then,  to  the  last  moment  of  your 
existence. 

163. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  writes  to  the  Editor  of  the  Merchants 
Magazine,  after  this  manner,  March,  1848  : — 

"  Success  in  business  is  usually  the  result  of  intelligent  and 
well-directed  efforts. 

"  Many  of  the  failures  in  mercantile  life,  as  well  as  in  other 
pursuits,  arise  from  a  want  of  proper  knowledge  of  the  princi- 
ples upon  which  success  is  based. 

"The  uncertainty  of  mercantile  business  has  become  a  proverb; 
and  from  estimates  made,  and  publicly  proclaimed  on  various 
occasions,  the  proportion  of  those  engaged  in  that  employment, 
who  are  evidently  successful,  has  been  extremely  small. 

"  But  is  this  a  necessary  result  ?    The  writer  thinks  not.    Men 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  309 


who  hare  been  successful,  and  who  have  been  successful  as  a 
consequence  of  their  practical  knowledge  and  their  prudent 
management,  know  to  the  contrary.  And  yet  failure  follows 
failure.  Why  is  it  thus  ?  Need  we  continue  in  the  dark  upon 
'this  subject  ?  Are  there  not  minds,  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of 
business,  competent  to  enlighten  us,  and  whose  feelings  would 
prompt  them  to  the  task  if  their  attention  was  suitably  turned 
to  it? 

"It  is  a  subject  of  grave  importance,  and  the  remedy,  as  far 
as  possible,  should  be  provided  ;  as,  for  want  of  it,  the  integrity 
of  worthy  men  is  constantly  placed  in  jeopardy,  and  when  laid 
waste,  destruction  of  character  and  happiness  is  the  usual  con- 
sequence. This  frequently  occurs  with  persons  who  desire  to  do 
right,  but,  for  want  of  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  land-marks, 
get  into  a  false  position,  and  thereby  involve  themselves  and 
others  without  intending  it. 

"The  young  and  inexperienced,  who  are  pressing  forward  con- 
fident of  success,  and  yet  without  that  knowledge  that  would 
insure  it ;  and  successful  men,  who  stand  in  the  position  of 
creditors,  are  alike  interested  ; — indeed,  the  whole  community 
has  a  deep  and  an  abiding  interest  in  all  measures  that  will 
promote  good  morals,  and  lead  to  happy  and  successful 
results. 

"  A  portion  of  the  evil  arises  from  defective  business  training 
— partly  from  the  indolence  or  inattention  of  the  learner,  and 
partly  from  the  incompetency  or  disinclination  of  the  instructor. 
The  obligations  mutually  existing  between  master  and  appren- 
tice are  therefore  not  faithfully  discharged,  and  loss  is  sustained 
by  both  parties. 

"The  more  strictly  methodical  a  business  is  conducted,  pro- 
vided it  insures  correctness  and  proper  despatch,  the  nearer  it 


310  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


will  approach  success,  and  the  more  those  engaged  in  it  will 
become  fond  of  its  details  ;  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  more 
willingly  they  will  devote  themselves  to  those  duties  which  they 
feel  at  the  same  time  promotes  their  pleasure  and  advances 
their  interests. 

"  Why  may  not  the  profession  of  the  merchant  be  reduced  to 
a  science? 

"  There  are,  principles,  that  lie  at  its  foundation,  which  are  as 
true  as  those  applicable  to  any  other  pursuit ;  and  it  needs 
but  their  development  and  arrangement,  to  enable  those  en- 
gaged in  its  duties  to  be  equally  successful. 

"The  attention  of  intelligent  aud  philanthropic  merchants  is  in 
this  manner  invited  to  the  subject,  in  the  hope  that  some  one, 
competent  to  the  task,  will  accomplish  it,  and  thereby  confer  a 
lasting  benefit  upon  an  extensive  and  valuable  class  in  society  ; 
so  that,  while  young  men  are  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  their 
business  practically,  they  may  also  study  its  principles,  and  thus 
become  fitted  not  only  to  secure  advantages  to  themselves,  but 
useful  in  training  others,  and  eventually  be  ornaments  to  then* 
profession. 

"  In  the  mean  time  let  each  one  interested  in  the  subject, 
whether  merchant,  mechanic,  or  manufacturer,  provide  a  book, 
and  accustom  himself  to  noting  every  important  fad,  precept, 
principle,  or  illustration,  having  a  bearing  upon  his  particular 
occupation,  classified  under  suitable  heads.  By  adopting  this 
course,  it  will  in  time  be  found  that  he  has  not  only  improved 
his  own  mind  and  his  own  habits,  and  collected  a  mass  of 
information  important  to  himself  and  to  those  in  his  employ, 
but  that  he  has  provided  a  valuable  legacy  for  his  children, 
or  for  those  who  may  succeed  him  in  his  line  of  business." 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  311 


164. 

IT  is  always  better  to  raise  a  person  who  has  fallen  than  to 
trample  him  in  the  dust — to  speak  the  words  of  hope  and  con- 
solation than  to  express  the  feelings  of  contempt  and  scorn. 
We  were  led  to  this  reflection  the  other  day  upon  learning  the 
circumstances  attending  the  misfortunes  of  a  merchant  whom  we 
know  to  be  a  man  of  honor  and  probity.  B had,  what  is  com- 
monly termed,  failed ;  that  is,  a  series  of  misfortunes  unlooked-for, 
and  against  which  it  was  impossible  to  provide,  had  reduced  his 
means  so  that  he  was  unable  to  meet  his  engagements.  With  a 
gloom  of  heart  which  was  natural  under  the  circumstances, 

B prepared  to  meet  his  creditors  and  give  them  satisfaction 

as  far  as  he  was  able.  The  day  on  which  they  assembled  at  his 
counting-room  was  rainy  and  dreary — a  day  on  which  a  single 
gleaming  ray  of  the  sun  would  have  been  a  blessing.  The 
creditors  were  gathered  around  a  table,  and  with  gloomy  brows 
they  awaited  the  announcement  of  the  amount  they  were  to 
expect  upon  each  dollar  they  had  advanced  to  the  broken  mer- 
chant. B appeared,  with  an  expression  of  resignation  upon 

his  countenance,  and  yet  it  was  occasionally  clearly  seen  that 
there  was  a  suppressed  agony  in  his  heart.  For  a  time  there 
was  a  silent  examination  of  books  and  papers,  as  each  creditor 
sought  to  ascertain  the  amount  for  which  he  would  suffer.  Then, 
a  man  of  keen  sympathies,  to  whom  this  silence  was  painful, 

remarked,  "It  is  a  rainy  day."      "Yes,"  replied  B ,  and 

there  was  a  beam  of  light  on  his  countenance,  "but  it  will  not 
always-  be  rainy."  The  tone  and  nature  of  the  expression  struck 
the  sympathizing  merchant,  and  he  almost  immediately  arose, 
and  proposed  that  an  extension  should  be  granted,  to  allow 
B to  recover  from  his  disaster.  There  was  but  little  discus- 


312  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


sion.      The  proposition  was  received  with  general  favor,  and 

unanimously  agreed  to.     B returned  to  his  business  with  a 

light  heart,  labored  earnestly  and  devotedly,  and,  in  a  surprisingly 
short  time  was,  enabled  to  pay  all  to  whom  he  was  indebted,  to 
the  fraction  of  a  cent. 

The  lesson  of  this  anecdote  is  one  that  should  be  taken  to  the 
heart  of  every  merchant.  It  is  a  lesson  of  duty,  of  humanity,  and 
of  profit,  which  no  considerate  and  conscientious  man  will  neglect. 
In  the  first  and  highest  place — in  the  most  religious  sense — it  is 
a  lesson  of  duty.  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have  others 
do  unto  you,"  is  the  plain  precept  to  be  followed  as  a  pillar  of 
cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night.  Consider  the  circumstances 
that  have  brought  about  this  disaster  to  a  brother  merchant's 
business.  Imagine  yourself  surrounded  by  the  same  gloomy 
attendants — the  keen  apprehension  of  the  ills  of  sudden  poverty, 
and,  with  the  imputation  of  dishonesty — 

"  The  general  scorn  of  men — which  who  can  bear?" 

Then,  and  then  only,  can  you  appreciate  in  full  the  terrors  of 
the  broken  merchant's  position,  and  feel  intensely  that  it  is  your 
duty  to  reach  forth  a  helping  hand. 

In  the  second  place,  the  anecdote  teaches  a  lesson  of  human- 
ity. How  many  fall  never  to  rise  again  !  How  many  who 

have  failed  like  Mr.  B have  despaired  -of  ever  regaining 

their  credit  and  position  in  the  commercial  world,  and  have 
given  themselves  to  idleness  and  dissipation,  till  their  families 
have  hungered  and  shivered  beside  the  cold  hearth  !  It  is  true 
that  their  creditors  are  not  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  evils 
consequent  upon  a  weakness  of  will.  They  may  plead  they  were 
not  their  brother's  keeper.  But  would  it  not  have  been  better 
to  have  allowed  the  broken  merchant  some  ground  to  stand 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  313 


upon  ? — to  have  let  at  least  one  ray  of  hope  shine  upon  him  in 
his  hour  of  gloom,  in  order  to  encourage  him  for  another  effort 
in  business,  and  save  his  wife  and  children  from  the  perils  of 
starvation?  We  think  that  such  would  have  been  the  plain 
path  of  humanity,  and  that  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  the 
rescued  family  would  have  been  a  reward  beyond  all  Golconda's 
wealth. 

Lastly,  the  anecdote  teaches  a  lesson  of  profit,  using  the  word 

in  the  mercantile  sense.     If  B 's  creditors  had  taken  their 

few  cents  on  the  dollar  at  the  meeting  we  have  described,  that 
would  probably  have  been  all  they  would  ever  have  received  of 
the  money  due  them.  By  the  extension,  they  obtained  every 
cent,  and  this  might  be  the  happy  result  in  a  hundred  cases 
where  it  now  occurs  in  one,  if  the  value  of  an  extension  were  but 
properly  appreciated.  If  the  few  cents  could  be  spared  for  the 
tune  to  enable  those  who  are  trembling  on  the  verge  of  a  preci- 
pice, to  recover  their  balance  and  continue  the  prosecution  of 
their  business,  we  are  satisfied  that  in  very  many  cases  the  full 
amount  advanced  could  be  regained. 

While  thus  urging  upon  the  mercantile  class  their  duty  to 
their  unfortunate  brethren,  we  would  also  caution  them  to  inquire 
always,  whether  a  failure  is  the  consequence  of  a  series  of  mis- 
fortunes, or  of  continued  dishonesty  or  neglect ;  or,  metaphor- 
ically, whether  the  farm  has  gone  to  ruin  because  of  the  farmer's 
neglect  or  fraudulent  speculation,  or  because  of  opposing  ele- 
ments or  disease.  An  extension  to  one  convicted  of  dishonesty 
would  be  but  a  fresh  impulse  to  fraud  ;  and,  granted  to  one  of 
habitual  neglect,  would  be  but  to  consign  the  money  to  a  deeper 
grave.  It  is  always  possible  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  princi- 
pal causes  of  a  failure  in  time,  if  we  go  about  the  investigation 
in  time.  Upon  the  result  of  that  investigation  let  the  creditor's 

14 


314  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


course  of  action  be  founded.  To  the  neglectful  or  dishonest,  let 
there  be  awarded  a  speedy  settlement  and  a  rapid  riddance  of  all 
business  connection.  But  in  behalf  of  many  families  who  have 
been  condemned  to  ruin  and  poverty,  and  in  behalf  of  many  of 
the  honest  and  industrious  who  may  be  unfortunate  and  by  unre- 
lieved misfortunes,  driven  to  vicious  courses,  we  plead  for  an 

extension  when  it  is  deserved. 

/ 

165. 

SIR  EDWARD  BULWER  LYTTON,  hi  a  lecture,  in  England,  gave 
the  following  history  of  his  literary  habits :  Many  persons 
seeing  me  so  much  engaged  in  active  life,  and  as  much  about  the 
world  as  if  I  had  never  been  a  student,  have  said  to  me,  "  When 
do  you  get  time  to  write  all  your  books  ?  How  on  earth  do  you 
contrive  to  do  so  much  work  ? "  I  shall  surprise  you  by  the 
answer  I  make.  The  answer  is  this  :  "  I  contrive  to  do  so  much, 
by  never  doing  too  much  at  a  time.  A  man  to  get  through 
work  well,  must  not  overwork  himself — or,  if  he  do  too  mucfi  to- 
day, the  reaction  of  fatigue  will  come,  and  he  will  be  obliged  to 
do  too  little  to-morrow.  Now  since  I  began  really  and  earnestly 
to  study,  which  was  not  till  I  had  left  college  and  was  actually 
in  the  world,  I  may  perhaps,  say,  that  I  have  gone  through  as 
large  a  course  of  general  reading  as  most  men  of  my  time.  I 
have  traveled  much,  and  I  have  seen  much — I  have  mixed  much 
in  politics  and  in  the  various  business  of  life,  and  in  addition  to 
all  this,  I  have  published  somewhere  about  sixty  volumes,  some 
upon  subjects  requiring  much  special  research.  And  what  time 
do  you  think,  as  a  general  rule,  I  have  devoted  to  study — to 
reading  and  writing  ?  Not  more  than  three  hours  a  day  ;  and 
when  Parliament  is  sitting,  not  always  that.  But,  then,  during 
those  hours,  I  have  given  my  attention  to  what  I  was  about." 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  315 


166. 

THE  great  characteristic  of  the  young  men  of  the  present  day 
is  an  over  ambitious  desire  to  become  suddenly  rich,  or  masters 
of  their  profession,  whatsoever  they  may  be  ;  in  every  class  we 
find  the  same  anxiety,  the  same  disposition  to  get  gain  and 
reputation.  The  students  at  their  books,  either  in  "Law," 
"  Theology,"  or  "Physic,"  in  their  unwise  haste  to  become  as 
it  were,  Lawyers,  Priests,  or  Doctors,  forget  what  are  the  essen- 
tials to  make  them  truly  eminent,  and  so  hurry  over  their  studies  : 
looking  only  to  the  time  when  they  shall  be  invested  with  a  title, 
which  neither  their  neglected  opportunities  of  study  nor  the  natural 
talent  with  which  they  are  are  endowed,  entitle  them  ;  if  they 
can  but  pass  their  examinations  they  rest  content,  each  one  pre- 
suming that  he  has  but  to  receive  the  title,  and  all  the  honors  and 
profits  must  necessarily  ensue.  We  would  say  to  them,  however, 
that  such  things  do  not  necessarily  ensue  ;  far  from  it,  we  could 
poinf  them  at  this  moment  to  many  in  our  own  city,  who,  it  is 
true,  enjoy  the  title,  but  few  of  either  the  honors  or  profits — 
young  men  who  started  with  the  best  advantages,  whose  parents 
gratified  every  wish,  who  in  their  early  days  gave  evidences  of 
becoming  distinguished  men,  but  who  are  now  idling  away  their 
hours  throughout  the  thoroughfares  of  our  city,  satisfied  only 
with  the  titles  they  have  so  unworthily  received,  and  of  no  use  to 
themselves  or  the  community  around  them. 

And  the  same  failing  exists  hi  other  quarters  to  quite  as  great 
an  extent ;  among  our  mercantile  and  business  classes  we  find 
the  same  results  :  young  men  who  have  become  clerks  from  boys, 
without  acquiring  a  full  and  thorough  knowledge  of  every  branch 
of  the  business  in  which  they  are  engaged,  without  scrutinizing 
faithfully  the  methods  by  which  a  successful  and  honorable 


316  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


eminence  are  acquired,  imagine  too  often  that  they  are  engaged 
in  a  service  in  which  their  labors  are  not  requited,  that  they  are 
capable  of  conducting  business  on  their  own  account,  that  they 
possess  all  those  habits  upon  which  the  success  of  a  business  in  a 
great  measure  depends,  and,  accordingly,  they  branch  out  for 
themselves,  and  become  competitors,  as  it  were,  of  those  from 
whom  they  are  receiving  their  business  education,  and  against 
whom,  in  most  cases,  they  can  neither  command  a  sufficient 
capital  or  credit  to  compete  successfully.  And  what,  generally 
speaking,  are  the  final  consequences  of  such  a  course  ?  A  pre- 
mature failure,  or  a  series  of  embarrassments,  which  utterly  dis- 
hearten and  cripple  them,  and  render  it  almost  impossible,  ever 
after,  for  them  to  acquire  the  confidence  of  those  around  them  or 
be  successful  in  business  ;  few,  very  few  of  those  who  enter  upon 
business  under  such  circumstances  can  expect  to  succeed :  it  is 
only  by  a  perfect  knowledge  of  business,  by  an  exercise  of  tact, 
judgment,  and  cautious  discrimination,  coupled  with  habits  of 
industry,  close  application  to  business,  and  a  diligent  observation 
of  the  laws  of  trade  and  manners  of  men,  that  the  young  man 
can  ever  hope  to  become  a  merchant  of  honorable  eminence  : 
without  these  qualifications,  which  can  only  be  obtained  by  years 
of  labor  and  toil,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk,  capital  will  avail  but 
little,  practical  ignorance  and  the  want  of  proper  business  habits 
most  generally  gain  the  preponderance,  even  where  capital  has 
been  invested,  and  the  fatal  result  is  too  often  shown  by  a  com- 
plete failure  and  subsequent  insolvency,  the  haste  of  the  young 
man  to  be  master,  instead  of  clerk,  has  thus  led  him  on  inevitably 
to  his  own  ruin,  and  when  he  should  be  enjoying  the  ease  and 
comfort  attendant  upon  a  salary  prudently  and  safely  managed, 
and  the  prospect  of  entering  into  business  with  those  he  has  so 
faithfully  served,  he  has  by  his  undue  haste,  wasted  his  capital, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  317 


tarnished  his  reputation,  failed  in  business,  and  is  seeking  once 
more  the  humble  employment  of  a  clerk.  Such  examples  are  too 
common  in  every  business  community,  they  are  not  imaginary, 
but  as  true  as  that  the  sun  shines  at  noon-day  ;  let  every  young 
man  who  reads  these  suggestions  ponder  upon  them,  their  future 
welfare  and  happiness  may  depend  thereon;  let  them  not  suppose 
for  one  moment,  that  it  is  either  humiliating  or  degrading  to  be 
a  clerk  or  subordinate,  or  that  they  will  lose  time  by  devoting  a 
series  of  years  to  a  faithful  acquiring  of  the  details  of  the  busi- 
ness which  they  hope  to  pursue.  If  there  is  anything  either 
humiliating  or  degrading,  it  is  in  neglecting  to  improve  the 
opportunities  given  us  in  our  early  days,  and,  by  so  doing,  having 
jeoparded  our  right  to  a  future  honorable  standing  among  men 
whose  names  are  mentioned  with  respect,  and  who  are  looked 
to  as  examples  of  what  a  truly  just  and  honorable  merchant 

should  be. 

167. 

IT  has  been  supposed  by  those  who  have  long  observed  the 
course  of  things,  says  an  intelligent  writer,  that  to  take  forty 
lads,  divide  them,  all  things  considered,  into  two  equal  companies, 
place  half  of  them  in  the  professions  and  merchandise,  the  other' 
half  in  agricultural  pursuits,  the  result  will  be,  after  a  lapse  of 
years,  the  latter  wih1  have  the  greatest  aggregate  wealth  diffused 
among  the  whole  ;  while,  perhaps  a  fourth  of  the  former  may 
make  large  acquisitions,  and  the  families  of  the  other  three- 
fourths  may  be  found  in  rather  straightened  circumstances.  It  is 
the  opinion  of  those  who  have  long  held  situations  favorable  to 
such  observations  as  to  enable  them  to  come  to  correct  couclu- 
sions  on  this  subject,  that  only  one  in  four  of  the  trading  classes, 
perhaps  from  causes  beyond  their  control,  escape  insolvency,  or 
are  successful  in  the  professions. 


318  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


168. 

THERE  is  no  more  honorable  title  on  earth  than  that  of  the 
upright  merchant.  In  these  days  of  mercantile  degeneracy  and 
mercantile  recklessness,  it  is  profitable  for  us  to  pause  in  our 
career,  and  look  back  to  other  days,  to  the  period  when  mercan- 
tile honor  existed  in  fact,  as  well  as  in  name — when  our  mer- 
chants were  above  princes,  and  our  traffickers  the  honorable  of 
the  earth. 

We  want  a  great  example  to  hold  up  before  the  rising  genera- 
tion, which  shall  deeply  impress  upon  their  minds  the  great  truth 
that  industry,  unfaltering  rectitude,  scrupulous  exactness  in  all 
the  affairs  of  business,  and  honorable  and  upright  dealings  with 
our  fellow  men,  form  the  only  true  basis  for  mercantile  success, 
and  are  the  only  sure  principles  upon  which  mercantile  character 
can  be  builded. 

In  looking  over  the  list  of  merchants  whose  names  are  borne 
on  the  scroll  of  our  history,  whose  virtues  adorn  their  lives, 
whose  patriotism  burned  with  a  pure  and  hallowed  flame,  whose 
rectitude  of  purpose  was  a  deep  seated  principle,  whose  love  of 
truth  was  dearer,  far,  than  life,  whose  honor  shone  brightly  as 
the  sun  in  mid-day  ;  we  sigh  for  the  days  that  were.  To  the 
patriot  merchants  of  Boston,  we  owe  a  debt  of  lasting  gratitude. 
Theirs  were  the  first  impulses  that  grew  into  a  revolution,  out  of 
which  a  nation  sprang  into  existence — the  freest  nation  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  To  them  we  owe  no  small  share  of  our  an- 
cient renown.  HANCOCK,  who  sacrificed  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  devoted  his  life  to  the  cause  of  liberty,  was 
a  true  type  of  the  Boston  merchants  in  the  era  of  the  revolution. 
To  them,  and  their  influence,  we  owe  no  small  share  of  our  high 
consideration  abroad.  Our  noble  institutions  of  learning,  our 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  319 


well  endowed  benevolent  organizations,  are  monuments  of  their 
zeal  in  behalf  cf  education,  sound  morals,  and  all  Christian 
charities. 

AMOS  LAWRENCE  was  born  in  Groton,  Mass.,  on  the  22d  of 
April,  1786.  His  constitution  was  feeble,  and  he  suffered  much 
in  early  life  from  sickness.  With  a  natural  quickness  of  appre- 
hension, and  a  fondness  for  books,  he  made  commendable  progress 
in  spite  of  his  disadvantages.  His  only  education  was  received 
at  the  District  School  and  the  Groton  Academy,  to  which  insti- 
tution he  afterwards  made  liberal  benefactions.  In  the  fall  of 
1799,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  commenced  his  apprenticeship 
in  a  country  variety-store,  where  he  remained  until  the  22d  of 
April,  1807,  when  he  became  of  age. 

Being  now  released  from  his  indentures,  he  resolved  to  seek  a 
wider  sphere  for  his  energies  and  the  business  talents  which  he  was 
conscious  of  possessing.  Accordingly,  on  the  29th  of  the  same 
month,  he  took  his  father's  horse  and  chaise,  and  engaged  a  man 
to  drive  him  to  Boston,  with,  as  he  says  many  years  afterwards, 
— "  Twenty  dollars  in  my  pocket,  but  feeling  richer  than  I  ever 
felt  before,  or  have  felt  since." 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  Boston,  he  secured  a  clerkship 
in  a  respectable  house.  HLs  employers  were  so  well  satisfied  with 
the  capacity  of  their  new  clerk,  that,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months,  they  made  a  proposition  to  admit  him  into  partnership  ; 
but  to  their  surprise  he  declined  their  offer.  In  a  few  months 
they  failed,  and  young  Amos  was  appointed  by  the  creditors  to 
settle  up  their  affairs. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1807,  Mr.  Lawrence  commenced 
business  hi  a  small  store  in  Cornhill.  In  a  memorandum  in  one 
of  his  account  books,  he  alluded  to  his  condition  at  that  time,  by 
the  remark,  "  I  was  then,  in  the  matter  of  property,  not  worth  a 


320  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


dollar."  ^But  his  industry  and  habits  of  regularity  had  secured 
him  friends  and  credit. 

I  a  letter  written  in  later  life  he  says  :  "I  practiced  upon  the 
maxim — '  Business  before  friends '  from  the  commencement  of  my 
course.  During  the  first  seven  years  of  my  business,  I  never 
allowed  a  bill  against  me  to  stand  unsettled  over  the  Sabbath. 
If  the  purchase  of  goods  was  made  at  auction  on  Saturday,  and 
delivered  to  me,  I  always  examined  and  settled  the  bill  by  note 
or  crediting  it,  so  that  in  case  I  was  not  on  duty  on  Monday, 
there  would  be  no  trouble  for  my  boys ;  thus  keeping  my  business 
before  me,  instead  of  allowing  it  to  drive  me." 

Further,  Mr.  Lawrence  remarks.  "I  made  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  the  first  year,  and  more  than  four  thousand  the  second. 
Probably  had  I  made  four  thousand  the  first  year,  I  should  have 
failed  the  second  or  third  year.  I  practiced  a  system  of  rigid 
economy,  and  never  allowed  myself  to  spend  a  fourpence  for 
unnecessary  objects  until  I  had  acquired  it." 

Having  become  fairly  established  in  business,  he  took  his 
brother  Abbott,  then  fifteen  years  of  age,  as  an  apprentice. 
Abbott  came  to  the  city  bringing  his  bundle  under  his  arm,  with 
less  than  three  dollars  in  his  pocket,  and  this  was  his  fortune. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  married  on  the  6th  of  June,  1811 ;  to  Miss 
Sarah  Richards,  daughter  of  Silas  Richards,  who  resided  in  Bos- 
ton at  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war.  This  union,  which 
was  one  of  unalloyed  happiness,  continued  until  January  14th, 
1819,  when  it  was  severed  by  the  death  of  her  who  was  to  him 
the  most  beloved  of  all  earthly  objects. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1814,  the  celebrated  firm  of  A.  &  A. 
Lawrence  was  formed.  Abbott  entered  the  partnership  on  equal 
shares,  Amos  putting  fifty  thousand  dollars  that  he  had  then 
earned  into  the  concern.  Abbott  was  called  off  to  do  duty  as 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  321 


a  soldier  through  most  of  that  year.  Writing  in  1849,  Mr. 
Lawrence  says:  "We  still  continue  mercantile  business  under 
the  first  set  of  indentures,  and  under  the  same  firm,  merely 
adding,  '  &  Co.,'  as  new  partners  have  been  admitted." 

In  1815,  Abbott  visited  England,  and  Amos  improved  this 
opportunity  to  impart  useful  instruction  to  his  younger  brother, 
both  in  relation  to  the  course  of  business,  as  well  as  for  his  future 
moral  guidance.  What  was  useful  then,  will  be  no  less  useful 
now,  to  younger  brothers  just  entering  upon  life. 

"  As  a  first  and  leading  principle,  let  every  transaction  be  of 
that  pure  and  honest  character  that  you  would  not  be  ashamed 
to  have  appear  before  the  whole  world  as  clearly  as  to  yourself. 
It  is  of  the  highest  consequence  that  you  should  not  only  cultivate 
correct  principles,  but  that  you  should  place  your  standard  so 
high  as  to  require  great  vigilance  in  living  up  to  it." 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  an  advocate  of  early  marriages,  but  was 
strenuously  opposed  to  any  man's  marrying  a  fortune.  Speaking 
of  a  desirable  match  for  a  friend,  he  says,  "  My  only  objection 
to  her  is,  she  has  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  cash.  This,  however, 
might  be  remedied ;  for,  after  purchasing  a  house,  the  balance 
might  be  given  to  near  connections,  or  to  some  public  insti- 
tution." 

In  April,  1821,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  again  married  to  Mrs. 
Nancy  Ellis,  widow  of  Judge  Ellis,  of  Claremont,  .New  Hamp- 
shire. The  same  year  he  was  elected  to  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature,  and  this  was  the  only  occasion  on  which  he  ever 
served  hi  a  pubh'c  legislative  body. 

On  the  first  of  January  in  each  year,  he  was  hi  the  habit  of 
noting  down  an  accurate  account  of  all  his  property,  in  order 
that  he  might  have  a  clear  view  of  his  own  affairs,  and  also  a 
guide  to  his  executors,  in  case  of  his  death.  This  annual  state- 

14* 


322  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


ment  commences  in  1814,  and  is  continued,  with  the  exception 
of  1819,  every  year  until  his  death,  in  1852.  On  the  1st  of 
January,  1828,  he  remarked,  after  taking  an  account  of  his 
affairs  : — 

"  This  amount  of  property  is  great  for  a  young  man  under 
forty-two  years  of  age,  who  came  to  this  town  when  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old,  with  no  other  possession  than  a  common 
country  education,  a  sincere  love  for  his  own  family,  and  habits 
of  industry,  economy  and  sobriety.  Under  God,  it  is  these  same 
self-denying  habits,  and  a  desire  I  always  had  to  please,  so  far  as 
I  could  without  sinful  compliance,  that  I  can  now  look  back  upon 
and  see  as  the  true  ground  of  my  success." 

The  subsequent  life  of  Mr.  Lawrence  is  known  and  read  by 
all  men.  His  bountiful  and  systematic  benevolence  to  institutions 
of  learning,  and  of  religion ;  his  readiness  to  further  and  encour- 
age a  spirit  of  unselfish  patriotism,  his  unostentatious  private 
charities  are  now  deeds  of  which  the  world  knows,  made  public 
by  no  act  of  his,  but  necessarily  public,  in  order  that  the  world 
might  have  the  full  benefit  of  his  noble  example. 

Mr.  Lawrence  peacefully  yielded  up  his  spirit  to  his  Creator 
on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1852.  Death  found  him  not  unpre- 
pared. And  to  him  we  may  apply,  with  eminent  appropriateness, 
the  beautiful  and  oft  repeated  lines  of  Bryant, 

"  7-= —  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave, 
Like  one  that  draws  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 

On  the  morning  of  his  death,  his  son  found  upon  the  father's 
table  the  following  lines,  which  had  been  copied  by  him  a  few 
days  previous,  and  which  are  the  more  interesting  from  being  a 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  323 


part  of  the  same  hymn  containing  the  lines  repeated  by  his  wife 
on  her  death  bed,  thirty-three  years  before  : 

"  Vital  spark  of  heavenly  flame, 
Quit,  O,  quit  this  mortal  frame ! 
Trembling,  hoping,  lingering,  flying — 
O,  the  pain,  the  bliss,  of  dying ! 
Cease,  fond  nature,  cease  thy  strife, 
And  let  me  languish  into  life. 
Hark!  » 

It  would  almost  seem  that  a  vision  of  the  angel  messenger  had 
been  afforded,  and  that  the  sonnd  of  his  distant  footsteps  had 
fallen  upon  his  ear ;  for,  with  the  unfinished  line,  the  pen  thus 
abruptly  stops. 

169. 

THE  City  of  Barcelona,  in  Spain,  posesses  a  peculiar  pawn- 
broking  establishment — where  loans  are  made  without  interest  to 
necessitous  persons,  on  the  deposit  of  any  articles.  Two-thirds 
of  the  value  of  the  deposit  are  at  once  advanced,  and  the  loan 
is  made  foj  six  months  and  a  day  ;  but  if  at  the  expiration  of 
that  period  the  depositor  should  declare  himself  unable  to  redeem 
it,  another  period  of  six  months  is  allowed.  At  the  end  of  the 
second  six  months  the  pledges  are  sold,  but  if  they  yield  more 
than  the  amount  advanced,  the  difference  is  given  to  the  original 
owner.  The  Marquis  de  Llio  is  president  of  this  charitable  es- 
tablishment, and  he  has  just  addressed  a  letter  to  the  clergy  of 
the  diocese,  praying  them  to  make  its  advantages  known.  It 
bears  the  name  of  the  Pawnbroking  Establishment  of  Our  Lady 
of  Hope.  In  the  year  1849,  five  thousand  six  hundred  and 
eighty-six  persons  availed  themselves  of  its  generosity. 


324  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


170. 

NOTHING  is  more  common  in  the  mercantile  experience  of  this 
country  than  for  men  to  start  in  life  poor,  but,  overcoming  all 
obstacles,  to  rise  into  high  credit  and  affluence.  It  is  unhappily 
quite  common  also  for  the  same  men,  when  arrived  at  this  eleva- 
tion, to  put  everything  at  hazard  in  the  hope  of  more  rapid  gains, 
and,  missing  their  object,  to  lose  all.  Strange  that  men  should 
do  so,  the  spectators  say,  and  yet  if  they  ever  reach  the  same 
point  of  elevation  they  will  very  likely  pursue  the  same  course. 
It  is  not  very  strange  perhaps  in  such  a  community  as  this  that 
it  should  be  so.  Our  merchants  are  pressed  so  severely  with 
business  that  they  have  time  for  little  else.  Their  thoughts  are 
engrossed  constantly  with  business  and  its  gains,  and  in  this  way 
the  desire  of  acquisition,  which  is  implanted  in  every  bosom  for 
useful  purposes,  is  nourished  into  a  passion,  and  breaks  away 
from  reason.  For  its  improper  action  there  is  always  at  hand  a 
ready  gratification.  Besides,  a  man  who  has  by  steady  applica- 
tion obtained  property  and  credit,  gets  to  feel  as  if  it  would 
always  be  so  with  him.  He  comes  to  think  more  of  his  own 
sagacity  and  less  of  his  steady  plodding  than  he  ought ;  and, 
having  more  credit,  and  perhaps  more  money,  than  his  present 
business  requires,  spreads  out  his  plans  in  a  disproportionate 
enlargement.  Men  so  situated  do  not  really  expect  to  be  mate- 
rially happier  or  better  for  the  large  increase  of  wealth  which 
they  strive  for.  It  is  the  passion  for  acqtusition  which  urges 
them  on.  Some  may  indeed  hope  to  set  up  a  carriage  and  enter 
the  fashionable  world,  and  so  become  the  slaves  of  postillions  and 
the  Ion  ton.  But  in  general  it  is  acquisition  which  fills  and  con- 
trols the  mind.  In  sober  seriousness,  men  all  know  that  they 
want  but  little  here  below,  nor  want  that  little  long.  They 


FOR    MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF    BUSINESS.  325 


know  that  such  an  amount  of  property  as  makes  them  easy  in 
their  affairs,  and  leaves  them  to  labor  steadily  for  the  main- 
tenance of  their  families  and  the  performance  of  other  duties,  is 
enongh,  and  that  more  will  but  increase  care  and  perplexity, 
without  any  compensating  enjoyment.  If  their  thoughts  are 
accustomed  to  reach  on  to  the  end  of  life  and  beyond  it,  and  to 
cherish  the  feeling  that  some  heart-work  is  to  be  done  by  way  of 
preparation  for  the  future,  they  confess  to  themselves  that  more 
property  would  rather  be  a  hindrance  than  a  help  in  that  matter. 
Yet  they  love  to  make  money.  One  says,  I  wish  I  had  five  hund- 
red thousand  dollars.  What  would  you  do  with  it  ?  No  matter  ; 
I  should  like  to  have  it. 

Most  men  believe  that  the  possession  of  some  property  is  very 
desirable  as  a  means  of  rational  enjoyment  and  usefulnesss.  They 
would  think  that  the  first  thousand  dollars  which  a  man  should 
acquire  would  be  worth  more  to  him  than  the  next  two  thousand  ; 
and  that  all  his  additional  gains  sink  proportionably  in  value. 
Some  would  run  along  by  this  rule  until  they  would  at  no  distant 
point  pass  by  the  summit  of  increase,  and  count  further  gain 
nothing  but  loss.  It  is,  any  how,  a  remarkable  fact,  staring  us  all 
in  the  face  continually,  that  very  rich  men  are  seldom  reputed 
happy ;  though  others  will  continue  to  think  if  they  could  gain 
the  wealth  they  would  contrive  to  avoid  the  anxiety. 

How  shall  business  men  protect  themselves  from  the  danger 
we  are  considering  ?  Certainly,  it  is  a  great  danger.  The  danger 
is  evidently  not  to  be  avoided  by  simple  reliance  upon  one's  own 
superior  wisdom  and  prudence.  It  is  among  those  who  have 
been  longest  in  the  exercise  of  prudence  that  the  most  conspicuous 
examples  of  imprudence  are  to  be  found. 

If  we  may  be  allowed  to  suggest  remedies  for  so  great  a 
danger,  we  would  say  that  in  the  first  place  every  business  man 


326  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


should  feel  that  he  is  in  danger.  Then  he  should  cultivate  other 
faculties  besides  that  of  acquisitiveness.  That  will  cultivate 
-itself.  Then  he  should  set  bounds  to  his  desires  from  the  outset 
of  his  acquisitions.  Not  by  fixing  a  definite  sum  perhaps  beyond 
which  he  wilt  not  accumulate,  but  so  far  at  least  as  not  to  allow 
the  fact  that  he  has  reached  the  point  to  which  he  first  aimed  to 
be  merely  a  new  starting  point  for  new  plans  much  larger  than 
the  first.  Then  dwell  much  upon  the  inestimable  value  of  peace 
of  mind.  Think  how  dearly  millions  are  earned  at  the  expense  of 
anxious  days  and  restless  nights.  Think  how  short  life  is  ;  too 
short  for  its  days  to  be  eaten  out  by  useless  distress.  Put  in 
practice  the  adage  "  keep  what  you've  got,"  and  only  act  upon 
the  other  part  of  it,  "get  what  you  can"  in  a  way  consistent 
with  the  first.  Give  away  money  freely  if  you  are  prosperous. 
This  may  not  cure  the  passion  of  acquisitiveness,  but  it  will 
counteract  and  tame  it,  and  if  done  in  true  benevolence  will  be 
a  source  of  more  true  happiness  than  wealth  can  buy  in  any 
other  way. 

Consider  that  in  truth  the  surest  way  of  arriving  at  great 
wealth  is  never  to  be  in  a  hurry.  Set  it  down  as  a  fixed  principle 
that  you  will  never  depart  from  your  regular  business  unless  it  be 
by  the  mere  use  of  surplus  funds.  Study  the  book  of  the  Proverbs 
of  Solomon  until  your  mind  is  full  of  those  old  truths  ;  truths 
which  live  in  constant  youth  and  beauty,  though  they  be  six 
thousand  years  old.  Go  fully  into  the  considerations  drawn  from 
morality  and  religion,  and  you  may  find  more  powerful  motive 
than  any  we  have  presented. 

171. 

GUARANTEES  should  only  be  taken  in  writing,  and  a  considera- 
tion always  expressed  therein. 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  327 


172. 

THE  aim  makes  the  man — the  spirit,  the  energy,  the  greatness 
or  bitterness  of  the  character  and  life.  When  the  Merchant's 
Aim  is  right,  he  will  have  something  that  shall  survive  defeat 
and  glorify  even  poverty  ;  and  when  accumulating  prosperity  is 
his,  it  shall  not  undermine  his  principles,  nor  make  him  insensible 
to  the  uses  of  wealth. 

A  short  time  since,  two  merchants  in  the  same  line  of  business . 
in  our  city,  were  conversing  on  the  method  to  be  adopted  to 
make  a  fortune. 

The  one  remarked,  "I  have  been  working  fifteen  years  to 
establish  a  quality  of  goods  and  to  fix  a  reputation,  and  I  shall 
hold  to  the  reputation  I  have  gained,  and  shall  carefully  keep  up 
the  quality  of  my  manufactures." 

"  Pooh  ! "  answered  the  other,  "  I  shall  do  no  such  thing.  Fm 
not  a  going  to  work  as  long  as  that,  but  am  determined  to  make 
a  fortune  in  a  few  years  and  let  the  reputation  go." 

Here  are  the  representatives  of  the  two  classes  in  the  mercan- 
tile community  ;  the  one  to  whom  character  and  conscience  are 
unspeakable  wealth,  the  other  to  whom  they  are  nothing. 

It  is  easy  to  go  through  the  histories  of  our  prominent  mer- 
chants, and  see  the  wisdom  of  the  one  class,  and  the  folly  of  the 
other  ;  for  the  aim  of  the  man  is  not  something  he  can  always 
keep  covered  up  and  out  of  sight.  It  will  gleam  out  to  shame 
or  dignify;  and  shrewd  business  men  soon  discover  on  what  prin- 
ciple trade  is  conducted  by  those  with  whom  they  are  brought  in 
contact.  They  are  repelled  by  the  discernment  of  the  low  and 
mean  aim,  as  they  are  attracted  by  the  noble  and  generous  spirit 
of  the  true  merchant.  Hence,  though  now  and  then  to  test 
man's  regard  for  lofty  principle,  some  flashy  adventurer  may 


328  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


amass  a  fortune  speedily,  yet  the  greater  amount  of  success  will 
be  found,  as  it  is  found  in  the  department  of  science  and  dis- 
covery, with  the  men  of  generous  purposes,  dignifying  anus, 
cautious  and  unpresuming,  addressing  themselves  to  what  is  right 
as  well  as  to  what  promises  immediate  success. 

A  man  who  goes  on  the  policy  of  deception  and  cheating, 
begins  by  deceiving  and  cheating  himself;  and  he  is  distinguished 
from  the  upright  by  the  inward  experience,  which  has  more  to  do 
with  the  enjoyment  of  life,  than  wealth  or  poverty  ; — by  the 
regard  in  which  he  is  held  in  the  community — by  his  influence  on 
the  young  and  those  connected  with  him  in  business,  and  by  the 
chances  of  recovery  from  disaster  should  that  overtake  him. 
"My  misfortune,"  said  a  good  merchant,  "was  made  almost 
sweet  to  me  by  the .  kind  expressions  drawn  out  by  it  from  so 
many  of  my  fellow  citizens."  That  is  the  reward  of  a  Right 
Aim. 

113. 

STUDYING  mankind  from  the  point  of  view  afforded  by  a  gig  ; 
waging  unflinching  war  with  knavish  ostlers  ;  ogling  buxom 
chamber-maids  ;  eloquent  in  praise  of  full-bodied  port, — more 
eloquent  in  eulogy  of  their  master's  wares  ;  great  in  whisker  and 
loud  in  voice  ;  good-natured,  vulgar,  jocular,  overwhelming, 
persevering,  and  industrious  to  the  last  degree  ;  the  commercial 
traveler  of  old  was  a  very  different  personage  to  his  easy-going, 
locomotive  succeessor.  His  journeys  were  long  and  his  visits 
infrequent.  Say  that  he  came  out  of  Nottingham,  with  lace  and 
stockings,  and,  in  a  gig  well  stocked  with  samples  and  patterns, 
perambulated  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  during  six  long 
months.  Making  some  great  commercial  inn  his  head-quarters, 
he  would  drive  about  from  village  to  village,  until  all  the  district 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  329 


was  exhausted  of  its  orders,  and  enough  goods  were  sold  to 
supply  the  vicinity  with  hosiery  and  lace  for  years  to  come  ;  this 
done,  he  would  move  off  to  some  other  centre,  driving,  drinking, 
swearing,  puffing  his  wares,  and  making  love  as  only  a  bagman 
could.  How  different  the  mode  of  the  modern  "commercial !" 
A  clerk,  or  possibly  a  partner  in  the  house  which  he  represents, 
he  travels  about  with  nothing  but  a  black  leathern  portmanteau, 
well  strapped  down,  and  filled  with  patterns  of  his  wares.  With 
this,  a  railway-rug,  a  small  carpet-bag,  and  a  Bradshaw,  he  con- 
trives to  be  everywhere,  and  whips  off  what  used  to  be  a  six 
months'  circuit,  within  the  space  of  a  single  day.  Breakfasting 
at  home  in  London,  he  lunches  in  Manchester,  and,  after  doing 
a  good  stroke  of  business  there,  passes  on  to  York,  whence,  after 
a  cozy  dinner  and  a  satisfactory  interview  with  his  principal  cus- 
tomers, he  is  whisked  back  by  the  night  train  to  London,  where 
he  arrives  in  good  time  for  the  morning-meal.  He  is  the  only 
man  who  knows  Bradshaw.  He  is  great  upon  three  fifties,  four- 
teens,  and  one-forty-five.  He  takes  his  seat  with  his  back  to  the 
engine,  by  instinct.  He  is  tolerably  well-read  ;  thanks  to  the 
railway  literature.  He  has  no  time  for  driving,  or  drinking,  or 
swearing,  or  puffing,  or  even  for  making  love.  He  has  not,  in 
fact,  one  single  characteristic  for  which  the  commercial  traveler 
used  to  be  distinguished. 

174. 

THE  two  closing  paragraphs  of  a  speech,  made  by  the  Hon. 
WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD,  on  the  Claims  of  American  Merchants  for 
Indemnity  for  French  Spoilations,  delivered  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  January  21st,  1850,  contain  sentiments  appropri- 
ately and  eloquently  expressed,  that  should  find  a  response  in  the 
bosom  of  every  honest  and  patriotic  statesman  in  the  Union. 


330  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


The  tribute  to  Commerce  is  as  just  in  morality,  as  it  is  compre- 
hensive and  beautiful  in  expression  : — 

"  Commerce  is  one  of  the  great  occupations  of -this  nation.  It 
is  the  fountain  of  its  revenues,  as  it  is  the  chief  agent  of  its  ad- 
vancement in  civilization  and  enlargement  of  empire.  It  is  exclu- 
sively the  care  of  the  federal  authorities.  It  is  for  the  protec- 
tion of  Commerce  that  they  pass  laws,  make  treaties,  build  forti- 
fications, and  maintain  navies  upon  all  the  seas.  But  justice  and 
good  faith  are  surer  defences  than  treaties,  fortifications,  or  naval 
arjpaments.  Justice  and  good  faith  constitute  true  national  honor 
which  feels  a  stain  more  keenly  than  a  wound.  The  nation  that 
lives  in  wealth,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  power,  and  yet  under 
unpaid  obligations,  lives  in  dishonor  and  hi  danger.  The  nation 
that  would  be  truly  great,  or  even  merely  safe,  must  practice  an 
austere  and  self-denying  morality. 

"The  faith  of  canonized  ancestors,  whose  fame  now  belongs  to 
mankind,  is  pledged  to  the  payment  of  these  debts.  '  Let  the 
merchants  send  hither  well-authenticated  evidence  of  their  claims, 
and  proper  measures  shall  be  taken  for  their  relief.'  This  was 
the  promise  of  Washington.  The  evidence  is  here.  Let  us  re- 
deem the  sacred  and  venerable  engagement.  Through  his 
sagacity  and  virtue,  we  have  inherited  with  it  ample  and  abund- 
ant resources,  and  to  them  we  ourselves  have  added  the  newly 
discovered  wealth  of  Southern  plains,  and  the  hidden  treasures  of 
the  Western  coasts.  With  the  opening  of  the  half-century, 
we  are  entering  upon  new  and  profitable  intercourse  with  the 
ancient  Oriental  States  and  races,  while  we  are  grappling  more 
closely  to  us  the  new  states  on  our  own  Continent. 

"  Let  us  signalize  an  epoch  so  important  in  Commerce  and 
politics  by  justly  discharging  ourselves  forever  from  the  yet 
remaining  obligations  of  the  first  and  most  sacred  of  all  our 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  331 


national  engagements.  While  we  are  growing  over  all  lands,  let 
us  be  rigorously  just  to  other  nations,  just  to  the  several  States, 
and  just  to  every  class  and  to  every  citizen  ;  in  short,  just  in  all 
our  administrations,  and  just  towards  all  mankind.  So  shall 
prosperity  crown  all  our  enterprises — nor  shall  any  disturbance 
within,  nor  danger  from  abroad,  come  nigh  unto  us,  nor  alarm  us 
for  the  safety  of  Fireside,  or  Fane,  or  Capitol. 

175. 

THE  Boston  Traveler  relates  the  following  shrewd  and  success- 
ful method  of  restoring  to  the  paths  of  honesty  and  rectitude  a 
young  man  who  had  been  tempted  into  dishonest  acts,  and  who 
might,  under  any  other  course  of  treatment,  have  been  confirmed 
in  fraud,  and  reckless  of  the  esteem  of  society.  One  such  suc- 
cessful stroke  is  worth  far  more  than  the  recovery  of  all  the 
goods  purloined.  The  merchant  who  adopts  such  a  course 
deserves  to  take  rank  among  the  moral  and  social  reformers  of 
the  day;  and  we  would  say  to  the  readers  of  this  volume  who 
may,  unfortunately,  be  placed  in  similar  circumstances — "  Do 
LIKEWISE."  Pay  your  clerks  an  adequate  compensation  for  their 
services,  and  lead  them  "not  into  temptation"  by  withholding 
the  means  of  supplying  their  every  reasonable  want. 

"Some  months  ago,  one  of  our  city  constables  traced  a  large 
quantity  of  stolen  goods  to  a  young  clerk  in  one  of  the  large 
wholesale  stores  in  the  vicinity  of  Milk  street,  where  business  to 
the  amount  perhaps  of  a  million  or  more  is  carried  on  during  the 
year.  The  officer  in  the  first  place  informed  the  young  man  of 
his  discovery,  and  he  acknowledged  his  crime.  He  then  went  to 
a  member  of  the  firm,  and  informed  him  also  of  what  had  taken 
place.  The  merchant  seemed  troubled,  said  that  the  boy  had  for 
some  time  been  with  him,  and  to  all  appearance  was  a  faithful 


332  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


clerk  ;  that  he  had  sole  control  of  a  room  containing  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods,  with  several  lads  under  him, 
etc.,  and  further  stated  that  he  paid  him  for  his  services  three 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  week.  The  officer  asked  if  the  young 
man  did  not  pay  nearly  that  amount  for  board,  washing,  etc. 
The  merchant  acknowledged  that  he  probably  did.  He  then 
called  the  boy  down,  and  asked  him  to  confess  the  whole  truth, 
which  he  did,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  promises  of  reformation. 
The  merchant  then  told  the  officer  that  he  wished  time  to  con- 
sider as  to  his  course.  When  the  officer  called  again,  the  young 
man  still  continued  at  his  old  employment,  with  this  difference, 
that  he  had  increased  his  pay  to  six  dollars  per  week.  The 
officer  asked  how  the  boy  got  along,  to  which  his  master  replied, 
'Admirably,  admirably;  I  have  not  a  better  servant  in  the 
store.'  Thus  ended  the  matter,  and  the  young  man  still  con- 
tinues at  his  said  stand,  with  a  firm  intention  to  deserve,  by  his 
future  good  conduct,  the  confidence  which,  perhaps,  he  so  little 
deserved  by  his  previous  course." 

176. 

IN  the  first  place,  it  is  abused  by  the  creditor,  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  an  overweening  anxiety  to  sell,  when  he  meets  what 
he  considers  a  good  customer,  more  goods  than  that  customer 
can  pay  for  without  depending  upon  a  great  many  contingen- 
cies. But  the  consideration  is  too  often,  is  he  good  for  it? 
when  it  should  be,  Will  his  legitimate  business  enable  him  to 
make  prompt  payments?  The  bills  receivable  of  those  who 
cannot  conveniently  pay  them,  but  whose  property  it  will  be 
necessary  to  sacrifice  to  collect  them — having  to  go  through 
all  the  glorious  uncertainty  of  the  law — are  most  certainly  what 
we  would  call  the  poorest  possible  description  of  available  funds. 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  333 


Again,  the  credit  system  is  abused  by  the  buyer,  when  he  is 
tempted  to  buy  more  goods  than  his  regular  trade  will  call  for, 
under  ordinary  circumstances.  It  is  not  all  that  can  be  sold 
to  the  consumer  is  well  sold,  no  matter  how  good  he  may  be 
for  it,  but  only  what  he  can  pay  for  conveniently. 

Again,  the  credit  system  is  abused  by  men  who  have  a  moder- 
ate capital  and  a  good  credit,  and  who  are  tempted  to  open  a 
mercantile  house  in  a  certain  location  because  it  is  considered  a 
good  place  for  business,  and  some  of  those  who  have  grown 
up  with  it  have  become  rich  ;  and  in  order  to  make  a  show, 
and  thereby  build  up  a  business  at  once,  as  they  call  it,  they 
are  tempted  to  tax  their  capital  and  their  credit  to  the 
utmost  extent ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that  before  the  foun- 
dation is  laid,  their  capital  and  their  credit  are  both  swept 
from  under  them. 

Again,  the  credit  system  is  abused  by  those  who  sell  mer- 
chandise which  they  have  bought  on  time,  and  which  virtually 
belongs  to  their  creditors,  for  anything  but  cash  down,  or  at  a 
stipulated  time.  The  man  who  finds  he  has  bought  more  goods 
in  this  way  than  he  can  find  a  ready  sale  for,  and  gives  them  in 
exchange  for  houses  or  lands,  is  not  only  abusing  the  system, 
but  is  doing  his  creditor  a  great  injustice — a  decided  injury. 

The  facility  offered  by  this  system  to  embark  in  mercantile 
life,  induces  hundreds  to  accept  of  it,  who  are  either  incapable 
of  conducting  business  successfully,  or  who  attempt  to  carry  it 
on  in  locations  already  full — where  there  are  already  more  busi- 
ness houses  than  the  trade  of  the  place  demands ;  and  this  is 
another  most  ruinous  abuse  of  the  credit  system. 

But  there  is  another  way  in  which  this  system  is  abused,  or 
rather  used,  which  is  by  far  the  most  ruinous  of  all  others — we 
mean,  where  it  is  used  by  dishonest  men  to  make  grand  specula- 


334  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


tions  out  of.  An  individual,  possessed  of  a  moderate  amount  of 
money,  commences  business  in  some  thriving  town.  He  comes  to 
one  of  our  wholesale  marts/  and  with  one  or  two  commendatory 
letters,  but  particularly  with  his  money,  he  soon  becomes 
acquainted  ;  at  first  but  limited,  but  he  has  only  to  manage  his 
trumps  (his  money)  with  a  little  tact,  and  his  acquaintance  will 
very  soon  extend.  At  first  he  purchases  cautiously  and  meets 
his  obligations  promptly,  always  managing  to  have  his  goods 
packed  carefully  and  marked  scientifically,  and  placed  on  the 
street  several  days  before  he  removes  them — 

"  Like  books  and  money 
Laid  in  show, 
As  nest-eggs, 
To  make  clients  lay." 

And  he  succeeds.  He  soon  becomes  known  as  a  man  of  prompt- 
ness and  capital,  and  doing  a  dashing  business  ;  and  such  a  busi- 
ness he  does  do;  for  the  motto  at  home  is,  "  Sell  low  for  cash — 
never  mind  profits."  His  acquaintance  is  courted  ;  he  is  be- 
drammed,  bedinnered  and  besuppered  ;  everything  goes  on  swim- 
mingly, and  finally  he  buys  largely,  goes  in  deeply,  makes  one 
grand  maneuver,  a  most  prodigious  swell,  and  then  judiciously 
and  profitably  explodes. 

Finally,  the  farmer  or  mechanic,  who  buys  beyond  his  avail- 
able means,  is  a  bad  customer.  The  merchant  who  is  continually 
selling  at  cost,  or  under,  in  order  to  undersell  his  more  judicious 
neighbor,  is  a  bad  customer  ;  and  the  dealer  who  buys  goods  to 
swell  with,  is  a  bad  customer.  The  man  who  does  business  alto- 
gether on  credit,  is  a  bad  customer ;  and  lastly,  the  man  who 
does  not  own  the  one-half  of  his  stock  in  trade,  at  least,  is  not  a 
safe  customer. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  335 


177. 

"EVERYTHING,"  says  an  old  proverb,  "is  bought  with  a  price ;" 
and  all,  we  may  add,  who  are  able  and  willing  to  pay  the  price, 
will,  sooner  or  later,  possess  the  object  of  their  pursuits.  ASTOR, 
GIRARD,  and  McDoxocH  paid  the  price,  and  obtained  their 
reward  ;  they  became  rich  in  this  world's  goods,  but  died  with 
stinted,  impoverished  souls,  hi  their  insane  desire  of  accumulation. 
They  denied  the  world  those  kindnesses  of  heart,  which  are,  after 
all,  the  chief  glory  of  humanity.  The  desire  of  a  competence  is, 
doubtless,  very  laudable  ;  but  great  wealth  is  not  the  "  one  thing 
needful."  "Contentment  with  godliness,"  says  Holy  Writ,  en- 
dorsed by  Human  Experience,  "is  great  gain."  But  not  the 
gain  which  the  Astors,  the  Girards,  and  the  McDonoghs,  have 
obtained.  These  reflections  were  suggested  to  our  mind,  on 
reading  a  conversation  among  several  distinguished  lawyers  of 
New  Orleans,  during  "some  idle  moments,"  (?)  in  a  court  room, 
in  that  city,  when  one  of  them,  as  we  learn  from  a  New  Orleans 
cotemporary,  related  the  following  reminiscence  of  an  interview 
with  McDonogh.  The  moral  of  the  story,  and  the  conclusion, 
which  the  narrator  of  this  anecdote  arrived  at,  we  commend  to 
the  serious  consideration  of  our  readers. 

"  I  said  to  Mr.  McDonogh,  '  You  are  a  very  rich  man,  and  I 
know  that  you  intend  to  leave  all  your  property  to  be  expended 
in  charitable  purposes.  I  have  been  thinking  over  your  singular 
life,  and  I  want  you  to  give  me  some  advice  hi  regard  to  the 
great  success  which  has  attended  you,  for  I,  too,  would  like  to 
become  very  rich,  having  a  family,  so  as  to  leave  my  heirs  very 
wealthy.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  get  up  sir ;'  and  as  I  rose  from  my 
arm-chair,  he  took  my  seat,  and  turning  to  me  as  if  he  was  the 
proprietor  and  I  his  clerk,  said,  pointing  to  a  common  chair  in 


MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 

which  he  had  been  sitting,  '  Sit  down,  sir,  and  I  will  tell  yon 
how  I  became  a  rich  man,  and  how,  by  following  three  rules,  you 
can  become  as  rich  as  myself. 

" '  I  first  came  to  Louisiana/  continued  Mr.  McDonogh,  '  when 
it  was  a  Spanish  colony,  as  the  agent  for  a  house  in  Baltimore, 
and  a  house  in  Boston,  ^o  dispose  of  certain  cargoes  of  goods. 
After  I  had  settled  up  their  accounts  and  finished  their  agency, 
I  set  up  to  do  business  for  myself.  I  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  Spanish  Governor,  who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  me, 
although  I  had  never  so  much  as  flattered  him,  and  through  his 
influence  I  obtained  a  contract  for  the  army,  by  which  I  made 
ten  thousand  dollars.  After  this,  I  gave  a  splendid  dinner  to 
the  principal  officers  of  the  army  and  the  Governor,  and  by  it 
obtained  another  contract,  by  which  I  made  thirty  thousand 
dollars. 

'"This  is  what  the  Creoles  and  French  do  not  understand.  •  I 
mean  the  spending  of  money  judiciously.  They  are  afraid  of 
spending  money.  A  man  who  wishes  to  make  a  fortune,  must 
first  make  a  show  of  liberality,  and  spend  money  in  order  to  ob- 
tain it.  By  that  dinner  which  I  gave  to  the  Spanish  authorities, 
I  obtained  their  good  will  and  esteem  ;  and  by  this  I  was  ena- 
bled to  make  a  large  sum  of  money.  To  succeed  in  life,  then,  you 
must  obtain  the  favor  and  influence  of  the  opulent,  and  the 
authorities  of  the  country  in  which  you  live.  This  is  the  first 
rule.' 

"  'The  natural  span  of  a  man's  life,'  observed  Mr.  McDonogh, 
"  is  too  short,  if  he  is  abandoned  to  his  own  resources,  to  acquire 
great  wealth,  and,  therefore,  hi  order  to  realize  a  fortune,  you 
must  exercise  your  influence  and  power  over  those  who,  in  point 
of  wealth,  are  inferior  to  you,  and  by  availing  yourself  of  their 
talents,  knowledge,  and  information,  turn  them  to  your  own  advau- 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  331 


tage.  This  is  the  second  rule.'  Here  the  old  man  made  a  long 
pause,  as  if  lost  in  thought,  and  seeing  him  remaining  silent  I 
asked,  'And  is  this  all?'  'No,'  said  he,  'there  is  a  third  and 
last  rule,  which  it  is  all-essential  for  yon  to  observe,  in  order 
that  success  may  attend  your  efforts."  '  And  what  is  that  ? '  I 
inquired. 

"  'Why,  sir,'  said  he,  'it  is  prayer.  You  must  pray  to  the 
Almighty  with  fervor  and  zeal,  and  you  will  be  sustained  in  all 
your  desires.  I  never  prayed  sincerely  to  God  in  all  my  life, 
without  having  my  prayer  answered  satisfactorily.'  He  stopped, 
and  I  said,  '  Is  this  all  ?'  He  answered,  '  Yes,  sir ;'  follow 
my  advice,  and  you  will  become  a  rich  man.'  And  he  arose  and 
left  me." 

"Well,"  asked  one  of  the  company,  "have  you  followed  his 
advice  ?"  « 

"  No,"  said  the  counsellor,  "I  have  not  for  certain  reasons  ;  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  considered  harsh  in  drawing  the  conclusion  I 
did  from  Mr..McDonogh's  advice.  They  were,  that  when  a  man 
desires  to  become  rich,  he  must  corrupt  the  high,  oppress  the 
poor,  and  look  to  God  to  sustain  him." 

178. 

IN  extracting,  from  Dickens'  Household  Words,  the  following 
description  of  a  shipwreck,  it  has  occured  to  us  to  suggest  to  our 
Life  Insurance  companies,  who  issue  policies  on  the  lives  of 
travelers,  emigrants,  etc.,  the  propriety  of  adopting  a  system 
of  salvage : — 

"  The  crew  of  the  first  life-boat  managed  to  reach  the  vessel ; 
and  by  the  numbers  that  crowded  the  deck,  all  crying  out  and 
praying  to  be  saved,  the  boatmen  immediately  saw  that  there 
was  a  good  deal  more  rough  work  chalked  out  for  them.  Two 

15 


338  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


or  three  "  trips,"  and  the  co-operation  of  their  mates  ashore, 
would  be  necessary  to  save  so  many  lives.  They  made  up  their 
minds  to  the  task,  and  at  once  took  as  many  as  they  could — 
landed  them  safely  at  Broadstairs,  and  then  buffeted  their  way 
back  to  the  same  vessel  again — the  sea  often  running  clean  over 
men  and  boat.  This  they  repeated — a  second  life-boat  from 
Broadstairs  joining  them  in  the  exploit — and  in  the  course  of 
the  day  they  succeeded  in  taking  off  every  soul  on  board  and 
bringing  them  safely  ashore.  The  vessel  also  had  a  number  of 
casks  of  butter  and  lard  in  the  hold,  which  the  captain  had 
ordered  upon  deck,  all  ready ;  but  if  the  boatmen  had  taken 
these  they  must  have  saved  two  or  three  lives  less  for  each  cask, 
according  to  weight,  so  the  butter  and  lard  were  left  to  perish. 
The  crew  of  the  boat  that  made  its  way  to  the  other  vessel,  at 
the  furthermost  end  of  the  sands,  found  that,  although  there 
were  but  few  lives  to  save,  (only  the  captain,  mate,  and  two 
"hands,")  there  was  a  much  better  thing — a  valuable  cargo. 
No  wild  and  unmanageable  passengers,  desperate  men,  half 
frantic  women,  screaming  children,  all  very  difficult  to  get  into 
the  boat,  and  yet  more  difficult  to  prevent  from  leaping  down  into 
her  in  a  crowd  that  would  capsize  or  sink  her, — but  four  seamen, 
who  assisted  them  hi  getting  out  of  the  hold  cases  of  placid 
sheet  tin,  patient  tiles  of  copper,  imperturbable  solid  cakes  and 
docile  pigs  of  lead.  They  also  found  a  mine  of  penny-pieces  in 
the  shape  of  casks  of  copper  nails  and  a  thousand  copper  bolts. 
They  made  their  way  back  with  as  much  as  they  could  safely 
carry,  and  shortly  afterwards  returned  with  two  other  boats. 
They  persevered  in  this  "labor  of  love"  till  they  had  got  out 
nearly  all  the  cargo  and  carried  it  safely  on  shore.  Now  comes 
the  question  of  remuneration  for  these  two  parties  of  bold  sailors, 
and  the  wise  condition  of  maritime  laws  in  these  very  important 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  339 


cases.  The  sailors  who  had  assisted  in  moving  the  sheet  tin,  the 
tiles  and  cakes,  and  casks  and  bolts  of  copper,  and  the  pigs  of 
lead,  received  each  man  twenty  pounds  in  the  current  coin  of  the 
realm  ;  and  the  sailors  who  had  risked  their  lives  in  saving  the 
crowd  of  passengers  in  the  other  vessel  (having  no  lawful  claim 
to  anything  for  only  saving  human  lives)  received,  by  special  sub- 
scription and  consideration,  half-a-crown  each  I  Had  they  saved 
the  casks  of  butter  and  lard,  that  would  have  given  them  a  legit- 
imate claim  to  salvage  ;  but  as  it  was,  they  had  no  claim  at  all. 
It  should  be  added  that  the  sailors  knew  this  at  the  time." 

179. 

WE  commend  to  the  citizens  of  every  State  in  the  Union,  the 
statesman-like  views  contained  in  the  subjoined  extract  of  a  letter 
written  by  the  Hon.  LUTHER  BRADISH,  of  New  York,  while  the 
question  of  allowing  the  Ogdensburgh  Railroad  Company  to 
bridge  Lake  Champlain,  was  pending  in  the  Legislature  of  New 
York  :— 

"As  to  the  objection,  (that  it  would  divert  trade  from  the 
market  of  New  York, )  it  rests  upon  a  basis  too  narrow,  and  an 
apprehension  too  little  flattering  to  the  capacities  of  the  great 
State  of  New  York,  to  form  a  principle  in  her  public  policy. 
Even  conceding,  that  to  some  small  extent  the  supposed  result 
should  take  place,  and  that  an  occasional  barrel  of  flour,  or  other 
provisions,  should  leave  the  broad  and  deep  current  of  trade  with 
New  York,  and  stray  across  the  Green  Mountains,  to  feed  the 
factories  of  New  England,  they  would  constitute  only  the  very 
limited  exceptions  to  the  general  rule,  and  would  be  too  few 
and  inconsiderable  to  form  a  basis  of  legislation  for  the  Empire 
State. 

"The  laws  of  trade  are  paramount  to  all  human  legislation. 


340  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


They  will  work  out  for  themselves  their  own  channels,  and  carry 
the  products,  which  constitute  its  elements,  to  those  marts,  both 
of  consumption  and  supply,  which  are  more  alluring,  and  which 
hold  out  to  them  the  strongest  inducements.  New  York,  in  this 
regard,  has  nothing  to  fear,  and  should  adopt  and  pursue  a  policy 
as  liberal  as  her  resources,  and  as  broad  as  her  power. 

"  But  even  upon  the  ground  of  interest,  and  supposing  that  those 
occasional  drippings  from  the  great  current  of  trade  with  New 
York,  in  finding  their  way  across  the  mountains,  should  have  the 
effect  of  increasing  the  wealth  of  our  good  neighbors  of  the  East, 
the  consequence  would  only  be  that  it  would  increase,  in  a  cor- 
responding degree,  the  ability  and  desire  in  them  to  purchase  and 
consume  such  things  as  we  must  forever  supply.  New  York 
would,  therefore,  after  many  days,  receive  back  again,  with  large 
increase,  the  bread  that  she  had  thus  trustfully  cast  upon  the 
waters.  Trade  and  Commerce  have  in  themselves  wonderful 
compensating  power,  and  never  fail  to  promote  reciprocal  advan- 
tage if  they  be  not  diverted,  crippled,  or  restrained  by  narrow 
policy,  or  local  legislation." 

180. 

WE  have  noticed  in  the  Merchant's  Magazine  various  methods 
of  adulterating  different  articles  of  commerce  and  consumption, 
brought  to  light  by  the  investigations  of  the  London  Lancet, 
a  medical  journal  of  high  repute.  The  last  investigations  of  that 
journal,  on  the  subject  of  adulterations,  have  been  directed  to 
mustard,  flour,  and  bread.  With  regard  to  mustard  it  has  been 
ascertained  that  the  article  is  scarcely  ever  to  be  obtained 
genuine,  whatever  may  be  the  price  paid  for  it. 

Out  of  forty-two  samples  purchased  indiscriminately,  the  whole 
were  adulterated  with  immense  quantities  of  wheaten  flour,  highly 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  341 


colored  with  turmeric,  the  specimens  in  tinfoil  packages,  and 
labeled  "  Fine  Durham  Mustard,"  or  "double  superfine,"  contain- 
ing, with  the  exception  of  much  husk,  scarcely  anything  else.  In 
connection  with  bread  and  flour  the  conclusions  arrived  at  were 
unexpected.  Out  of  forty-four  samples  of  wheat  flour,  (including 
several  of  French  and  American,)  purchased  in  all  quarters  of 
the  metropolis,  not  a  single  instance  was  detected  of  admixture 
with  any  other  farina,  or  of  the  presence  of  spurious  matters  of 
any  kind.  It  is  admitted,  therefore,  that  millers  and  corn-dealers 
are  somewhat  maligned.  As  respects  bread,  the  results  were  not 
so  favorable.  Although  its  adulteration  with  alum  is  an  offense 
liable  to  a  penalty  of  twenty  pounds,  this  material  was  found  in 
every  one  of  the  samples  examined,  the  objects  for  which  it  is 
used  being  to  give  bad  flour  the  white  appearance  of  the  best, 
and  to  enable  the  bread  made  from  it  to  retain  a  large  proportion 
of  water,  so  as  to  gain  in  weight.  The  number  of  samples  was 
twenty-four,  and  in  ten  of  these  the  quantity  was  very  considera- 
ble, while  in  all  cases  it  was  such  as  to  be  injurious  to  health,  the 
operation  of  the  drug  being  to  interfere  with  the  activity  of  the 
digestive  functions.  This  article  of  adulteration,  however,  appears 
to  be  the  only  one  generally  employed  in  bread,  neither  potato, 
nor  any  other  inferior  farinaceous  matter,  nor  carbonate  or  sul- 
phate of  lime  being  found — an  improved  state  of  affairs,  which  is 
most  probably  owing  to  the  cheapness  of  flour  caused  by  free 
trade.  At  the  same  time  an  examination  of  the  weight  of  bread, 
as  delivered  at  houses,  shows  that,  upon  an  average,  there  is  a 
deficiency  of  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  ounces  in  every  quar- 
tern loaf. 

181. 

CREDIT  should  be  sparingly  given,  and  integrity  be  the  basis 
of  it. 


342  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


182. 

ALL  classes,  with  us,  are  connected  with  Commerce,  and  are, 
in  some  way,  interested  in  its  welfare.  There  is  gloom  over 
society  when  the  ship  stops  too  long  at  the  wharf,  and  the  prices 
current  manifest  depression.  Anxiety  is  not  confined  to  faces  on 
"  'change."  There  are  haggard  looks  among  laboring  men  want- 
ing work,  and  the  stillness  in  the  shop  of  the  mechanic  denotes 
the  state  of  trade.  The  mill  wheel  groans  at  half  speed  ;  the 
mule  works  lazily;  the  crowded  warehouse  will  not  admit  another 
yard,  and  the  stockholder  consoles  himself  for  no  dividends  by 
abusing  government.  But  the  ship  has  hauled  into  the  stream, 
and  the  sailor  heaves  cheerily  at  the  anchor.  The  merchant 
moves  briskly,  and  looks  as  though  chancery  had  always  been  a 
mythical  conception.  The  hard-featured  bank  smiles  grimly  as 
it  loosens  its  stringent  gripe,  and  the  original  phrase  of  "  tight- 
ness in  the  money  market "  is  dropped  for  a  season.  There  is  stir 
and  bustle  in  the  street ;  the  sound  of  the  saw  and  the  hammer 
is  heard  again  ;  manufacturing  stock  looks  up  at  the  broker's 
board,  and  the  government  is  not  so  bad,  after  all. 

The  American  merchant  is  a  type  of  this  restless,  adventurous, 
onward-going  race  and  people.  He  sends  his  merchandise  all 
over  the  earth  ;  stocks  every  market ;  makes  wants  that  he  may 
supply  them ;  covers  the  New  Zealander  with  Southern  cotton 
woven  in  Northern  looms  ;  builds  blocks  of  stores  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  ;  swaps  with  the  Feejee  cannibal ;  sends  the  whale- 
ship  among  the  icebergs  of  the  poles,  or  to  wander  in  solitary  seas, 
till  the  log-book  tells  the  tedious  sameness  of  years,  and  boys 
become  men  ;  gives  the  ice  of  the  northern  winter  to  the  torrid 
zone,  piles  up  Fresh  Pond  on  the  banks  of  the  Hoogly,  gladdens 
the  sunny  savannahs  of  the  dreamy  South,  and  makes  life  tolera- 


FOR    MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  343 


ble  in  the  bungalow  of  an  Indian  jungle.  The  lakes  of  New 
England  awake  to  life  by  the  rivers  of  the  sultry  East,  and  the 
antipodes  of  the  earth  come  in  contact  at  this  "meeting  of  the 
waters."  The  white  canvas  of  the  American  ship  glances  in 
every  nook  of  every  ocean.  Scarcely  has  the  slightest  intimation 
come  of  some  obscure,  unknown  corner  of  a  remote  sea,  when  the 
captain  is  consulting  his  charts,  in  full  career  for  the  "terra 
incognita." 

The  American  shipmaster  is  an  able  coadjutor  of  the  merchant. 
He  is  as  intelligent  in  trade  as  in  navigation,  and  combines  all 
the  requisites  of  seaman  and  commercial  agent.  He  serves  his 
rough  apprenticeship  in  the  forecastle,  and  enters  the  cabin  door 
through  many  a  hard  gale  and  weary  night  watch.  His  anxieties 
commence  with  his  promotion.  Responsibility  is  upon  him.  Life, 
and  character,  and  fortune  depend  on  his  skill  and  vigilance. 
He  mingles  with  men  of  all  nations,  gathers  information  in  all 
climes,  maintains  the  maritime  reputation  of  his  country,  and 
shows  his  model*  of  naval  architecture  wherever  there  is  sunshine 
and  salt  sea.  He  has  books,  and  he  reads  them.  He  hears 
strange  languages,  and  he  learns  them.  His  hours  of  leisure 
are  given  to  cultivation,  and  prepare  him  for  well  earned  ease 
and  respectability,  in  those  halcyon  days  to  come,  so  earnestly 
looked  for,  when  he  shall  hear  the  roaring  wind  and  pelting 
rain  about  his  rural  home,  and  shall  not  feel  called  upon  to  watch 
the  storm. 

183. 

WHAT  has  Commerce  done  for  the  world,  that  its  history 
should  be  explored,  philosophy  illustrated,  its  claim  advanced 
among  the  influences  which  impel  civilization  ? 

It  has  enabled  man  to  avail  himself  of  the  peculiarities  of 


344  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


climate  or  position,  to  make  that  division  of  labor  which  tends  to 
equalize  society,  to  distribute  the  productions  of  earth,  and  to 
teach  the  benefit  of  kindly  dependence.  It  unites  distant  branches 
of  the  human  family,  cultivates  the  relation  between  them, 
encourages  an  interest  in  each  other,  and  promotes  that  brotherly 
feeling  which  is  the  strongest  guarantee  of  permanent  friendship. 
People  differing  in  creed,  in  language,  in  dress,  in  customs,  are 
brought  in  contact,  to  find  how  much  there  is  universal  to  them 
all,  and  to  improve  their  condition,  by  supplying  the  wants  of 
one  from  the  abundance  of  the  other.  The  friendly  intercourse, 
created  by  Commerce,  is  slowly,  but  surely,  revolutionizing  the 
earth.  There  was  a  time  when  men  met  only  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  there  was  but  one  name  for  stranger  and  enemy. 
Now,  wherever  a  ship  can  float,  the  various  emblems  of  sover- 
eignty intermingle  in  harmony,  and  the  sons  of  Commerce,  the 
wide  world  through,  in  consulting  their  own  interests,  advance 
the  cause  of  Humanity  and  Peace.  . 

In  looking  for  the  mighty  influences  that  control  the  progress 
of  the  human  race,  the  vision  of  man  ranges  with  the  scope 
of  his  own  ephemeral  existence,  and  he  censures  the  justice 
which  is  steadfastly  pursuing  its  course  through  the  countless 
ages.  We  turn  away  bewildered  by  the  calamities,  which  extin- 
guish nationality  in  blood,  and  give  to  the  iron  hand,  fetters 
forged  for  the  patriot.  Let  him  who  desponds  for  humanity, 
and  mourns  for  faith  misplaced,  for  hopes  betrayed,  for  expec- 
tations unrealized,  look  back.  Has  revolution  and  change  done 
nothing?  Is  there  no  advance  from  kingly  prerogative,  and 
priestly  intolerance  ;  no  improvement  on  feudal  tenure  ?  The 
end  is  not  yet.  Let  the  downcast  be  cheered,  for  the  Eternal 
Right  watches  over  all,  and  it  moves  onward,  to  overcome  in  its 
good  time. 


FOR  MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  345 


184. 

WHAT  the  poor  expend  in  tobacco  we  lament,  forgetting  that 
men  labor  by  only  the  coercion  of  wants,  and  that  Diogenes,  who 
disciplined  himself  to  live  without  wants,  lived  without  labor  also. 

Tobacco,  and  other  coarse  superfluities,  perform  for  the  poor 
what  equipages  and  gorgeous  furniture  perform  for  the  rich.  Our 
organization  is  so  admirably  adapted  to  keep  us  active,  by  the  co- 
ercion of  wants,  that  new  wants  arise  in  every  man  spontaneously, 
as  fast  as  he  can  satisfy  old  ones.  Napoleon,  in  the  zenith  of  his 
prosperity,  craved  more  dominion,  with  an  intensity  augmented 
by  his  present  possessions,  instead  of  being  thereby  mitigated. 
The  design  of  Providence,  to  thus  keep  men  active  by  the  pres- 
sure of  wants,  life  insurance  and  assistance  clubs,  counteract. 
All  sumptuary  laws  contain  the  same  error,  and  all  Malthusian 
restraints  on  marriage.  Railroads  would  never  have  been  invent- 
ed, had  we  coercively  limited  the  operations  of  every  man  to  his 
local  neighborhood,  as  a  means  of  obviating  the  disadvantages 
of  distance.  To  evolve  good  out  of  apparent  evil,  is  one  of  the 
most  striking  characteristics  of  Providence ;  and  one  which  man's 
shortsightedness  is  continually  endeavoring  to  counteract,  by 
diminishing  his  wants  instead  of  gratifying  them  by  increasing 
efforts. 

185. 

GAMBLING  lures  men  from  industry,  frugality,  and  accumula- 
tion, by  hopes  of  gam,  through  processes  less  slow  than  these, 
and  less  self-denying ;  and  in  this  result,  also,  life  insurance 
assimilates  with  gambling.  "Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to- 
morrow we  die,"  and  a  life  insurance  will  provide  for  our  family, 
is  the  tendency  of  life  insurance,  whether  conducted  by  corpora- 

15* 


346  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


tions  which  catch  large  adventurers,  or  by  clubs  that  catch 
humble  people,  or  by  health  societies,  that  wring  from  manual 
labors  their  pettiest  surplus  earnings.  To  paralyze  a  man's 
efforts,  no  surer  means  can  be  devised,  than  companies  and  clubs 
which  shall  care  for  him  in  sickness,  bury  him  when  dead,  and 
provide  for  his  widow  and  orphans.  By  like  influences,  the  heirs 
of  rich  men  rarely  exhibit  self-denial  in  expenditures,  or  energy 
in  business,  and  become  drones  in  society.  Necessity  is  nature's 
expedient  to  vanquish  man's  love  of  ease.  Providence  intends 
that  we  shall  take  care  of  the  future  by  taking  care  of  the 
present,  and  take  care  of  our  descendants  by  taking  care  of  our- 
selves ;  just  as  a  horse  takes  care  of  his  hind  steps,  by  taking 
heed  where  he  places  his  fore  feet. 

186. 

To  become  fonder  of  accumulation  than  of  expenditure,  is  the 
first  step  towards  wealth.  An  agriculturist  will  receive  a  few 
grains  of  an  improved  species  of  corn,  which  he  will  not  eat,  but 
will  plant  them,  and  replant  the  product  from  year  to  year,  till 
his  few  grains  will  become  hundreds  of  bushels.  Money  is 
increasable  by  analogous  processes,  and  success  is  within  the 
power  of  every  man  who  shall  attain  to  ordinary  longevity.  If 
a  man  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  can  save  from  his  earnings 
twenty-six  cents  every  working  day,  and  annually  invest  the 
aggregate  at  compound  legal  seven  per  cent,  interest,  he  will,  at 
the  age  of  seventy,  possess  thirty-two  thousand  dollars.  Many 
men  who  resort  to  life  insurance  can  save  several  times  twenty:six 
cents  daily,  and  thus  accumulate  several  times  the  above  sum, 
long  before  the  age  of  seventy.  Nearly  all  large  fortunes  are  the 
result  of  such  accumulations  ;  hence  the  men  who  amass  great 
fortunes  are  usually  those  only  who  live  long.  The  last  few  years 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  34 1 


of  GIRARD'S  and  ASTOR'S  lives  increased  their  wealth  more  than 
scores  of  early  years.  To  be  in  haste  to  become  rich  by  a  few 
great  operations,  is  a  direct  road  to  eventual  poverty.  W«  can- 
not, however,  command  long  life,  but  we  can  approximate  thereto 
by  commencing  early  the  process  of  accumulation — an  elongation 
by  extending  backward  being  as  efficacious  as  an  elongation  for- 
ward. Every  hundred  dollars  expended  by  a  man  of  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  is  an  expenditure  of  what,  at  our  legal  rate  of 
interest,  would,  by  compounding  it  annually,  become  three  thou- 
sand dollars,  should  he  live  to  the  age  of  seventy.  This  lesson  is 
taught  practically  by  savings  banks,  and  well  counteracts  the 
fatal  notion  of  the  young  that  old  age  is  the  period  for  accumu- 
lation, and  youth  the  period  for  expenditure.  By  like  principles, 
a  young  man  who  pays  annually  a  premium  for  life  insurance, 
loses  not  the  premiums  only,  but  the  immense  increase  which  the 
money  would  produce,  should  he  invest  it  at  compound  interest, 
and  live  to  the  ordinary  limit  of  man's  life.  Extremely  old  men, 
who  have  no  Ifngth  of  life  in  prospect,  are  the  only  persons,  if 
any,  who  should  insure  their  lives,  for  the  expense  of  their  in- 
surance wonld  be  but  little  more  than  the  annual  premiums. 

187. 

THE  highest  value  of  affluence  is  the  social  influence  which  it 
confers,  whereby  the  possessor  may  become  useful  to  society  by 
his  example  and  precept.  Many  persons  keep  themselves  poor 
by  lavish  expenditures,  in  the  hope  of  being  deemed  rich,  and 
enjoying  the  superiority  which  riches  confer.  The  deception  is 
necessarily  of  short  duration  ;  but  had  the  party  carefully  saved 
and  accumulated,  he  might  soon  have  become  permanently  rich. 
The  mental  anguish  which  a  man  feels  when  he  loses  part  of  a 
large  forttrae,  proceeds  from  an  imagined  diminution  of  his  influ- 


348  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


ence  and  power,  not  from  any  'physical  privations  that  the  lost 
wealth  will  create.  Nor  is  such  a  notion  fanciful ;  men  who  have 
been  esteemed  wise  counsellors  while  rich,  lose  commonly  their 
reputed  wisdom,  if  they  lose  their  property.  This  phenomenon 
was  observed  by  Shakspeare,  who  accounts  for  it  by  saying — 

"  Men's  judgments  are 

A  parcel  of  their  fortunes  ;  and  things  outward 
Do  draw  the  inward  quality  after  them, 
To  suffer  all  alike." 

That  money  is  useless  except  for  the  physical  enjoyments  which 
its  expenditure  will  produce,  is  the  error  of  the  poor  ;  while  per- 
sons who  have  experienced  the  intellectual  gratifications  which 
result  from  the  retention  of  money,  gain  a  better  estimate  of  its 
value.  The  respect  that  attends  wealth  is  as  old  as  the  Bible, 
which  says — "  If  a  man  come  unto  your  assembly  with  a  gold 
ring  and  goodly  apparel ;  and  there  come  in  also  a  poor  man  in 
vile  apparel,  and  ye  have  respect  to  him  that  weareth  the  gay 
clothing,  and  say  unto  him,  Sit  thou  here  in  a  good  place  ;  and 
say  to  the  poor,  Stand'  thou  there,  are  ye  not  partial  ? "  If 
two  men  arrive  at  the  Astor  House,  where  the  charge  for  board 
and  lodging  is  the  same  for  both,  yet  the  man  who  is  known  to 
possess  the  most  property  will  be  lodged  in  a  better  room  than 
the  other,  and  receive,  in  every  way,  a  preference.  If  the  two 
take  passage  in  a  steamboat,  the  like  preference  will  be  accorded 
to  the  man  of  superior  wealth  ;  and  these  instances  are  but 
exemplifications  of  a  general  custom. 

188. 

As  savings  banks  are  the  laboring  man's  only  mode  of  accu- 
mulation, they  should  pay  depositors  as  high  rate  of  interest  as 
practicable  ;  for  the  more  productive  a  poor  man's  mite  can  be 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  349 


made,  the  stronger  will  be  his  motive  for  frugality  and  industry. 
Some  savings  banks  in  Connecticut  pay  depositors  five  and  a  half 
per  cent,  interest,  while  our  banks  pay  only  five  per  cent.,  though 
oar  legal  interest  is  one  per  cent,  more  than  Connecticut ;  conse- 
quently, our  long-established  city  savings  banks  have  accumulated 
enormously  large  surplus   profits  which  exist  without  a  legal 
owner  or  a  legitimate  object.    These  banks  are  required  by 
their  charters  "  to  regulate  the  rate  of  interest  so  that  depositors 
shall  receive  a  rateable  proportion  of  ah1  the  profits,  after  deduct- 
ing the  necessary  expenses  ;"  but  the  provision  fails  to  effect  its 
object,  (as  is  manifested  by  the  accrued  surplus  profits, )  though 
portions  thereof  have  in  some  cases  been  invested  in  the  erection 
of  expensive, banking-houses,  and  the  purchase  of  valuable  city 
grounds.      The  depositors  from  whose  hard  earnings  these  costly 
investments  were  abstracted,  have  received  their  stipulated  five 
per  cent,  interest,  drawn  out  their  deposits,  and  are  heard  of  no 
more  forever.     Like  other  property  for  whom  no  owner  exists, 
erections  of  the  above  character  belong  to  the  state,  and  are 
subject  to  legislative  disposals,  together  with  ah"  other  surplus 
profits  posessed  by  these  institutions.     Why,  then,  should  not 
all  savings  banks  be  compelled  to  honestly  divide  annually  (as  a 
bonus)  among  its  depositors  the  total  amount  of  its  net  earn- 
ings, beyond  the  stipulated  five  per  cent  ?    The  surplus  which 
any  bank  may  own  at  the  time  of  the  enactment  of  the  law,  can 
be  reserved  from  distribution,  except  the  income  which  may  there- 
after be  annually  earned  therefrom.    Every  savings  bank  possess- 
ing a  surplus,  will  thus  present  to  new  depositors  an  inducement 
which  will  be  salutary  to  the  thrifty  poor  who  may  avail  them- 
selves of  the  common  benefit ;  and  as  the  existing  large  surpluses 
are  owned  mostly  hi  cities,  the  inducement  will  be  presented 
to  the  class  of  poor  persons  who  are  locally  (by  reason  of  sur- 


350  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


rounding  temptatations)  most  in  need  of  inducements  to  self- 
denying  accumulations.  The  law  will  be  beneficial  to  depositors 
also,  who  reside  where  new  savings  banks  are  located,  by  reason 
that  the  depositors  will  receive  more  than  five  per  cent,  in- 
terest, as  soon  as  the  bank  shall  possess  deposits  enough  to 
neutralize  the  contingent  expenses,  and  thus  every  depositor  will 
become  a  quasi  bank  stockholder  to  the  amount  of  his  deposits, 
and  feel  a  common  interest  in  increasing  the  number  of  depositors 
so  as  to  diminish  rateably  the  per  centage  of  contingent  ex- 
penses. 

189. 

THE  idea,  and  even  name,  of  a  Mercantile  Biography  origin- 
ated with  the  editor  of  the  Merchant's  Magazine  shortly  after  its 
establishment  in  1839;  and  since  that  time,  we  have  occasionally 
given  sketches  of  men  who  have  commanded  success  in  the  varied 
walks  of  commercial  life  by  their  integrity,  sagacity,  industry  and 
frugality,  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  these  sketches  have 
not  been  without  their  influence  on  a  portion,  at  least,  of  the 
rising  generation  of  American  merchants. 

These  remarks  have  been  suggested  by  Mr.  ARTHUR,  the  editor 
of  the  "Home  Gazette,"  who,  in  republishing  our  biography 
of  Mr.  Grigg,  prefaces  it  with  a  few  pertinent  observations  on 
the  subject  indicated  in  the  title  at  the  head  of  this  article,  as 
follows  : — 

"Biography,  to  have  its  true  value,  should  present  the  history 
of  men  whose  talents,  industry  and  perseverance  have  elevated 
them  above  the  dead  level  of  society.  Especially  is  this  true  in 
regard  to  American  Biography.  The  use  of  this  species  of 
writing  is  to  furnish  youth  and  young  men  the  experience  of  the 
energetic  and  successful  who  have  gone  before  them.  In  this 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  35] 


country,  the  most  prominent  and  efficient  men  are  not  those  who 
were  boni  to  wealth  and  eminent  social  positions,  but  those  who 
have  won  both  by  the  force  of  untiring  personal  energy.  It  is 
to  them  that  the  country  is  indebted  for  unbounded  prosperity. 
Invaluable,  therefore,  are  the  lives  of  such  men  to  the  rising 
generation,  and  those  who  furnish  a  history  of  the  progressive 
steps  by  which  they  arose  from  obscurity  into  high  and  useful 
positions,  so  far  make  themselves  public  benefactors.  Hitherto, 
American  Biography  has  confined  itself  too  closely  to  men  who 
have  won  political  or  literary  distinction,  and  has  been  exceed- 
ingly careful  to  trace  the  genealogy  of  the  individual  back  to 
some  old  English  or  aristocratic  family,  as  if  birth  could  give  one 
jot  of  true  merit  to  the  individual — to  the  true  American  citizen. 
Limited  to  the  perusal  of  such  biographies,  our  youth  must,  of 
necessity,  receive  erroneous  impressions  of  the  true  construction 
of  our  society,  and  fail  to  perceive  wherein  the  progressive  vigor 
of  the  nation  lies. 

"  What  we  have  most  wanted  is  industrial  (so  to  speak)  and 
mercantile  biography;  or  the  histories  of  those  men  who  have 
arisen  by  patient  industry,  united  to  strong  and  untiring  energy, 
from  poverty  to  wealth ;  who  have  built  our  ships,  established 
vast  manufactories,  carried  on  our  Commerce,  erected  our  cities, 
and  spread  our  vast  country  with  railroads,  canals,  and  telegraphs, 
like  a  very  net-work.  We  want  the  histories  of  our  self-made 
men  spread  out  before  us,  that  we  may  know  the  ways  by  which 
they  came  up  from  the  ranks  of  the  people. 

"  Of  late  more  of  this  kind  of  biography  has  been  given,  and 
we  regard  it  as  a  good  indication.  Hunt's  Merchant's  Magazine 
presents  us  with  a  brief  and  very  interesting  sketch  of  the  life  of 
John  Grigg,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia,  (recently  of  the  bookselling 
firm  of  Grigg  &  Elliot,)  once  a  poor,  uneducated,  friendless  boy, 


352  MAXIMS,   MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


but  now  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  our  retired  merchants.  This 
sketch,  which  we  transfer  to  the  columns  of  the  Home  Gazette, 
contains  many  of  Mr.  Grigg's  experiences  and  opinions  on  busi- 
ness matters,  which  young  men  in  this  too  eager,  'go-ahead' 
age,  would  do  well  to  lay  to  heart.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
going  too  fast,  and  this  is  the  evil  of  the  present  time.  Thou- 
sands make  shipwreck  of  their  prospects  in  life  for  want  of 
patience.  They  are  neither  willing  to  rise  by  slow  degrees,  nor 
to  give  to  business  the  untiring  devotion  that  creates  success. 
To  all  such,  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  looking  for  the  true  ways 
and  means  of  mercantile  prosperity,  the  history  of  Mr.  Grigg's 
business  life  will  be  of  great  value." 

190. 

A  MAN'S  self-respect,  and  the  respect  of  his  wife  and  children 
for  him  and  themselves,  will  increase  continually  as  his  savings 
augment.  The  gradual  increase  of  wealth  which  attends  the 
accumulation  of  a  man's  savings,  is  also  more  favorable  to  its 
preservation  and  to  the  possessor's  equanimity  than  any  sudden 
accumulation  of  prosperity.  The  upstart  is  a  well-known  genus 
of  repulsive  and  pernicious  peculiarities.  A  family  who  succeeds 
to  the  slowly  accumulated  savings  of  a  deceased  father,  know 
his  modes  of  investment,  (a  knowledge  almost  as  valuable  as  the 
property  he  may  leave  them,)  and  the  family  will  be  more  likely 
to  retain  the  property  permanently,  than  a  widow  or  orphans 
suddenly  enriched  by  a  life  insurance,  which  will  be  paid  them  in 
money,  of  whose  proper  uses  and  safe  investment  they  will  be 
ignorant.  Besides,  the  parent  whose  savings  are  safely  accumu- 
lated in  a  savings  bank  feels  not  the  anxiety  which  sometimes 
attends  life  insurance,  lest  he  may  be  incapacitated  by  sickness, 
inadvertence  or  disappointment,  from  paying  his  burdensome  and 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  353 


insidious  renewal  premium.  He  is,  on  the  contrary,  master  at 
all  times  of  his  deposits,  and  can  recall  them  all  or  a  part,  as  his 
necessities  may  require,  or  as  more  lucrative  investments  may 
become  known  to  him — savings  banks  being  a  school  to  teach  the 
art  of  accumulation  to  the  poor,  rather  than  a  resort  for  expe- 
rienced capitalists.  Nor  is  a  savings  bank  depositor  a  sort  of 
prisoner  under  bonds  not  to  travel  into  foreign  countries  without 
the  consent  of  some  life  insurance  company;  his  freedom  nor  his 
money  is  lost  to  him  ;  nor,  in  case  of  his  death,  are  his  deposits 
liable  to  be  wrested  from  his  family  by  any  quibble  such  as  life 
insurance  companies  occasionally  will  and  always  can  interpose, 
where  the  company  happens  to  beh'eve  that  the  insured  person 
was  not  so  robust  as  he  or  some  physician  represented  at  the 
commencement  of  his  insurance. 

191. 

WHAT  perturbation  of  mind  !  What  struggling,  and  scratch- 
log,  and  shifting,  and  lying,  and  cheating,  is  practiced  every  day 
by  mammon  worshipers  to  make  money  I  What  a  comparison 
between  the  successful  and  unsuccessful !  Of  the  millions  who 
embark  in  business  to  make  money,  how  few  succeed  !  And 
why  !  Because  but  few  know  the  secret  of  success.  Most  think 
it  chance,  or  good  fortune,  but  they  are  sadly  mistaken  ;  and  if 
snch  as  are  now  pining  to  get  rich  would  only  strictly  mind  the 
following  advice  and  be  guided  by  it,  there  would  be  no  doubt 
of  then'  realizing  their  golden  dreams  : — 

"  Let  the  business  of  every  body  else  alone,  and  attend  to  your 
own  ;  don't  buy  what  you  don't  want ;  use  every  hour  to  advan- 
tage, and  study  to  make  even  leisure  hours  useful ;  think  twice 
before  you  throw  away  a  shilling,  remember  you  will  have  an- 
other to  make  for  it ;  find  recreation  hi  looking  after  your  busi- 


354  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


ness  ;  buy  low,  sell  fair,  and  take  care  of  the  profits  ;  look  over 
your  books  regularly,  and  if  you  find  an  error,  trace  it  out ; 
should  a  stroke  of  misfortune  come  upon  you  in  trade,  retrench, 
work  harder,  but  never  fly  the  track  ;  confront  difficulties  with 
unflinching  perseverance,  and  they  will  disappear  at  last ;  though 
you  should  fail  in  the  struggle,  you  will  be  honored — but  shrink 
from  the  task,  and  you  will  be  despised." 

192. 

AMONG  the  dishonorable  tricks,  practiced  by  many  publishers, 
is  the  re-printing  of  foreign  novels,  by  unknown,  or  indifferent 
writers,  as  works  of  the  first  geniuses  of  the  age.  Another 
equally  miserable  cheat  is  the  publication  of  conclusions  of  serials, 
when  the  real  conclusion  has  not  yet  even  appeared  in  England  : 
in  this  case  some  unprincipled  hack  writing  the  spurious  conclu- 
sion. These  are  tricks,  to  play  which  temptation  is  great,  for 
the  public  generally  does  not  detect  the  fraud  till  too  late,  and 
the  press,  from  ignorance  or  indifference,  fails  frequently  to 
expose  the  deception.  The  country  is  deluged  with  bad  novels 
enough,  without  having  them  increased  in  this  manner.  Thou- 
sands are  often  induced,  by  the  announcement  of  a  great  name, 
to  peruse  a  trashy  or  immoral  book,  when,  if  the  cheat  is  dis- 
covered, the  knowledge  comes  too  late,  and  if  not,  the  author 
suffers  in  reputation.  Can  there  be  no  protection  for  the  victims 
in  such  cases  ?  A  publisher,  who  filches  a  reader's  cash  in  this 
way,  is  morally  guilty  of  obtaining  money  under  false  pretenses, 
even  though  some  legal  quibble  may  shield  him  from  the  law. 
We  allude  to  no  recent  or  special  case  in  these  remarks.  Some- 
times publishers  charge  each  other  unjustly  with  tricks  of  this 
kind  ;  and  it  is  well  to  be  sure  of  the  evidence,  before  making  a 
direct  charge.  Nevertheless,  people  should  be  on  their  guard. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   KEN   OP   BUSINESS.  355 


193. 
I 

THAT  ever  busy  and  mischievous  old  dame,  Madam  RUMOR,  has 

been  even  more  than  usually  industrious  during  the  past  week 
in  circulating  reports  of  the  financial  condition  of  certain  houses. 
It  has  been  gravely  announced  that  several  large  establishments 
had  refused  to  meet  their  liabilities,  and  were  compelled  to  wind 
up  their  business  ;  still  these  identical  establishments  keep  their 
doors  open,  receive  their  customers,  pay  all  demands,  and  go 
through  the  whole  routine  of  their  business  operations  as  usual, 
Madam  Rumor's  fabrication  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 
Now,  whj  this  attempt  to  injure  the  reputation  of  some  of  our 
leading  merchants? — Is  it  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the 
business  of  one  man  at  the  expense  of  a  rival  neighbor  ?  These 
rumors,  by  the  way,  are  circulated  in  an  exceedingly  confidential 
way  (!)  manner  at  the  start — they  are  at  first  imparted  to  you  as 
secrets, — as  something  that  is  not  generally  known  ;  and  which 
the  informer  (if  you  are  verdant' enough  to  believe  him)  would 
impress  on  your  mind,  he  would  not  have  mentioned  to  another 
party  for  any  consideration.  In  this  way,  he  succeeds  in  getting 
his  story  pretty  well  circulated  ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  an 
injunction  to  keep  anything  secret  is  tantamount  to  advertising 
it  in  the  papers — it  is  then  bound  to  spread. 

It  is  true,  there  have  been  several  failures  in  New  York  and 
other  cities  recently — but  they  are  too  unimportant  to  notice,  or 
to  excite  distrust,  when  it  is  remembered  how  small  a  proportion 
they  bear  to  the  thousands  of  sound  and  well-tried  houses  in  our 
great,  growing,  and  prosperous  city.  The  stringency  of  the 
money  market  has,  we  know,  somewhat  incommoded  a  large 
number  of  business  men,  but  nothing  serious,  we  imagine,  is  likely 
to  grow  out  of  it. 


356  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


194. 

WE  have  great  pleasure  in  copying  the  subjoined  notice  of  an 
accomplished  American  merchant  residing  in  London,  from  the 
Home  Journal,  and  transferring  it  to  this  volume.  It  furnishes 
an  example  of  mercantile  character  worthy  of  imitation,  and 
therefore  entitled  to  a  wider  circulation,  and  a  more  permanent 
record,  than  it  would  secure  in  the  elegant  and  unique,  but  neces- 
sarily ephemeral  "  folio  of  four,"  from  which  it  is  taken  : — 

"  The  fame  of  the  princely  spirit  and  splendid  hospitality  of 
GEORGE  PEABODY,  has  now  gone  abroad  into  all  lands,  and  the 
distinction  with  which  he  caused  the  Fourth  of  July  to  be  pub- 
licly honored  in  London,  by  a  commemoration  which  involved  an 
English  tribute,  as  well  as  an  American  one,  to  the  dignity  of  the 
anniversary,  has  gained  for  him  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his 
countrymen  in  every  part  of  the  Union.  But  to  those  who  have 
visited  London  within  the  last  few  years,  there  is  nothing  in  the 
least  new  in  this  manifestation  of  Mr.  Peabody's  noble  liberality 
or  warm  national  feeling.  Socially,  though  not  politically,  and 
at  his  own  cost,  not  the  nation's,  he  has  long  performed  in  Lon- 
don a  ministerial  function  ;  receiving  all  respectable  Americans 
who  appeared  in  that  city,  whether  they  presented  any  claims 
upon  his  notice  or  not,  showing  them  substantial  kindness  ;  and 
affording  them  valuable  facilities  for  seeing  and  enjoying  all 
that  was  most  worthy  of  regard.  His  frequent  entertainments 
to  his  countrymen  have  been  the  most  luxurious  and  delightful 
banquets  that  the  most  generous  and  skilful  host  ever  arranged. 
He  has  not  only  been  accustomed  to  render  important  social 
services  to  Americans,  who,  but  for  him,  might  have  lacked 
all  assistance  in  the  metropolis,  but  he  has,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  protected  and  promoted  American  interests  in  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  35T 


most  signal  and  effective  way.  His  intervention  in  aid  of 
American  credit,  at  the  time  our  securities  became  depreciated 
in  Englartd,  is  well  remembered  ;  and  in  a  late  instance  his 
prompt  and  generous  self-exposure  and  expenditure  for  the 
national  benefit,  rescued  the  country  from  open  disgrace,  and 
presented  an  example  of  patriotic  conduct  with  which  the  nig- 
gardliness, public  and  private,  displayed  in  this  country,  stands 
in  a  dismal  contrast.  It  is  to  Mr.  George  Peabody  that  our 
productions  are  indebted  for  being  in  the  Exhibition  at  all. 
When  they  were  landed  there  from  the  St.  Lawrence,  no  pecu- 
niary provision  whatever  had  been  made  for  the  expenses  of" 
setting  them  up  in  the  building.  Mr.  Peabody  called  at  the 
place,  and  finding  that  nothing  was  done  to  establish  the  Ameri- 
can Articles  in  their  places,  inquired  the  reason,  and  was  told 
that  there  were  no  funds  for  the  purpose.  He  replied,  that 
he  would  himself  advance  whatever  amount  might  be  neces- 
sary for  the  object ;  and  at  once  furnished  two  thousand 
pounds,  without  any  security  at  all ;  trusting  to  the  decency 
of.  Congress  to  take  proper  action  in  the  matter,  and  choosing 
to  pay  the  money  from  his  own  pocket  rather  than  allow  the 
country  to  be  disgraced.  The  restitution  of  this  sum,  accom- 
panied by  some  appropriate  acknowledgement  of  the  national 
respect,  should  form  one  of  the  first  duties  of  Congress." 

195. 

BY  the  former  we  would  intend  everything  that  excites  to  com- 
mendable action  with  a  view  of  obtaining  the  means  of  enjoyment. 
By  the  latter  we  would  designate  that  state  of  the  mind  and 
heart  that  leads  us  to  distribute  these  accumulations  with  a  view 
of  promoting  the  happiness  of  others.  These  two  are  the  great 
reforming  influences  that  will  ameliorate  and  advance  the  condi- 


358  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


tion  of  mankind.  We  are  commanded  to  be  diligent  in  business, 
to  be  active,  to  contrive,  to  invent,  to  waken  up  intellect,  to  ren- 
der the  material  world  tributary  and  subservient,  and  to  accumu- 
late the  products  of  art  and  nature.  All  this  is  to  be  done  for 
rational  purposes,  compatible  with  the  dignity  and  end  of  man, 
creation  and  destiny.  Do  we  need  any  other  organization  of 
society  than  that  which  gives  and  secures  to  every  individual  the 
full  and  free  exercise  of  all  his  powers  ?  Do  we  wish  to  implant 
any  other  motive  in  the  heart  than  a  desire  to  spread  and  diffuse 
accumulations,  to  promote  present  and  eternal  enjoyment  ?  Does 
not  common  sense,  universal  experience,  point  out  these  two 
simple  laws  as  the  'ones  on  which  all  our  hopes  of  progress 
depend  ?  What  more  can  we  wish  than  to  see  our  fellow-creat- 
ures industrious,  enterprising,  economical,  striving  to  accumulate 
for  their  own  and  others'  happiness,  remembering  that  the  earth 
and  the  fulness  thereof  is  the  Lord's  ?  Liberty  and  encourage- 
ment to  act,  and  increasing  benevolence  to  distribute,  are  the 
hopeful  signs  of  the  times. 

196. 

THE  following  forcible  remarks  on  the  moral  effect  of  the 
usury  laws,  are  from  a  lecture  delivered  in  1848,  before  the  New 
York  Mercantile  Library  Association.  How  professed  moralists 
and  philanthropists  can,  with  any  show  of  reason,  support  such 
laws,  is  a  problem  that  we  cannot  solve  on  any  principle  of  com- 
mon sense  : — 

"The  usury  law  invites  and  encourages  the  borrower  to 
become  a  downright  and  shameless  knave.  Either  he  was 
ignorant  of  the  usury,  or  else  the  loan  was  taken  upon  his 
honor  ;  and  his  plea  of  usury  is  a  denial  of  that  last  attribute  of 
character  which  makes  even  a  barbarian  to  be  trusted.  The 


FOR    MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  '  359 


man  who  pleads  usury  never  after  respects  himself.  Before  he 
makes  his  plea  he  must  pass  through  the  several  stages  of  loss, 
vexation,  mortification,  and  despair  of  regaining  his  position  in 
society.  He  feels  that  he  is  disgraced,  and  society  enters  heart- 
ily into  his  feelings.  And  this  disgrace  the  legislature  has 
invited,  and  strongly  encourages  him  to  bring  on  himself. 

"When  his  case  comes  on  in  court,  the  judge  blushes  as  he 
charges  the  jury  in  favor  of  the  borrower,  and  the  jury  despise 
him  at  the  moment  of  returning  a  reluctant  verdict  in  his  favor.* 
The  only  difference  in  public  estimation  between  the  maker  of 
this  plea  and  a  certain  other  character,  is  this  : — The  one  finds 
his  neighbor's  property,  and  keeps  it,  and  the  other  takes  it  by 
stealth.  Truly  we  may  say,  '  The  law  entered,  that  offence 
might  abound.' " 

197. 

The  North  Western  Gazette  gives  its  readers,  in  the  shape  of 
a  leader,  a  brief  but  sensible  lecture  on  the  tendency  of  the  pub- 
lic mind  to  inflation,  which  we  here  re-produce  for  the  special  ben- 
efit of  our  readers,  whose  temptations  to  "  inflation"  are  pecu- 
liarly great : — 

"  There  is  a  strong  disposition  in  the  public  mind  to  inflation. 
Men  are  discontented  and  restless.  Are  not  as  contented  as  they 
should  be  with  a  plain  and  economical  way  of  living,  with  small 
but  sure  gains  and  moderate  fortunes.  They  must  get  very  rich, 
and  that  very  soon,  or  be  miserable.  Happiness  does  not  consist 
in  great  wealth,  and  that  acquired  without  patient  thought  and 
laborious  toil.  Neither  is  it  the  surest  way  to  attain  it,  to  em- 
bark in  bold  speculations,  to  blow  up  bubbles,  to  tarn  sharper,  to 
rely  on  brazen  impudence  for  stock  in  trade,  pay  no  regard  to 
justice,  and  run  just  as  near  as  possible  to  the  line  of  violated 


360  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


law  as  will  keep  one  out  of  the  penitentiary.  Men  seldom  get 
wealth  in  that  way,  though  for  a  time  they  may  have  the  name 
of  it.  We  ask  the  humble,  hard  working  man,  who  pursues  his 
honest  calling,  yet  it  may  be  with  too  little  patience  for  his  high- 
est peace,  to  point  out  to  himself  and  name  the  number  of  those, 
who,  within  -the  last  ten  years,  have  relied  on  the  above  false 
means  for  success,  that  are  not  now  poor  ?  Again  we  ask  the 
same  humble  man  to  point  out  to  himself  and  name  over  all  those 
,  within  his  knowledge,  who  have  pursued  an  honest  calling,  been 
content  with  small  gains,  who  have  placed  their  claim  to  success 
on  their  own  intrinsic  merits,  and  not  on  the  demerits,  the  down- 
fall and  destruction  of  others, — who  have  lived  peaceably,  econ- 
omically, prudently,  in  the  faith  of  a  clear  conscience, — how  many 
of  such  men  do  you  find  who  have  not  acquired  a  competence  ? 
Fortune,  in  most  cases,  is  not  won  by  unfair  means  ;  when  it  is 
so  won,  it  cankers  the  heart  that  hugs  it. 

"  We  have  said,  there  is  a  disposition  in  the  public  mind  to 
inflate  itself.  There  are  great  prospective  speculations  in  the 
dreams  of  men.  There  are  crude  longings  for  indulgence  in  the 
pleasant  fancies  of  1836.  Still  we  trust  the  country  will  escape 
S'ich  a  disaster.  While  the  California  idea  has  had  much  to  do  in 
bringing  about  this  impatience  to  acquire  sudden  wealth,  it  like- 
wise operates  as  a  safety  valve  to  let  off  the  extra  steam.  As  a 
man  becomes  disposed  for  California,  he  becomes  indisposed  to 
work  for  reasonable  gains  here.  He  sells  what  he  has  got  for 
what  he  can  get  for  it,  and  as  the  property  goes  almost  always 
below  its  true  value,  it  tends  to  keep  down  the  prices  for  similar 
property  in  the  vicinity.  The  man  goes  to  California.  The  pre- 
scription usually  makes  thorough  work — it  kills  or  cures.  Those 
who  take  it  and  live  through  it,  come  back  wiser,  if  not  richer 
men.  A  large  proportion  of  them  grasp  the  bubble,  and  it  van- 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEW    OF    BUSINESS.  361 


ishes  in  their  hand.  A  few  find  therein  visible  substance.  The 
powerful  California  attraction  keeps  down  unhealthy  irritation 
here,  precisely  as  a  blister  drawn  on  the  back  of  the  neck  some- 
times relieves  an  inflammation  of  the  brain.  So  our  readers  will 
bear  us  testimony,  that  we  have  at  last  found  or  imagined  some 
use  for  California.  The  over  excitement  there,  may  keep  those 
who  stay  at  home  cool  and  sensible.  That  they  may  be  so  kept 
free  from  nightmare,  water-lot  speculations,  wild-cat  fortunes  and 
the  itch,  we  trust." 

198. 

SOME  few  years  ago,  a  lad  who  was  left  without  father  or 
mother,  of  good  natural  abilities,  went  to  New  York,  alone 
and  friendless,  to  get  a  situation  in  a  store  as  errand-boy,  or 
otherwise,  till  he  could  command  a  higher  position  ;  but  this 
boy  had  got  in  bad  company,  and  had  got  in  the  habit  of 
calling  for  his  "bitters"  occasionally,  because  he  thought  it 
looked  maiiLy.  He  smoked  cheap  cigars  also. 

He  had  a  pretty  good  education,  and  on  looking  over  the 
papers,  he  noticed  that  a  merchant  hi  Pearl  street  wanted  a  lad 
of  his  age,  and  he  called  there,  and  made  his  business  known. 

"Walk  into  the  office,  my  lad,"  said  the  merchant.  "I'll 
attend  to  you  soon." 

When  he  had  waited  on  his  customer,  he  took  a  seat  near  the 
lad,  and  he  espied  a  cigfir  in  his  hat.  This  was  enough.  "My 
boy,"  said  he,  "I  want  a  smart,  honest,  faithful  lad  ;  but  I  see 
that  you  smoke  cigars,  and  in  my  experience  of  many  years,  I 
have  ever  found  cigar-smoking  in  lads  to  be  connected  with  vari- 
ous other  evil  habits,  and,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  your  breath  is 
an  evidence  that  you  are  not  an  exception.  You  can  leave  ;  you 

will  not  suit  me." 

16 


362  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


John — this  was  his  name — held  down  his  head,  and  left  the 
store  ;  and  as  he  walked  along  the  street,  a  stranger  and  friend- 
less, the  counsel  of  his  poor  mother  came  forcibly  to  his  mind, 
who,  upon  her  death-bed,  called  him  to  her  side,  and  placing 
her  emaciated  hand  upon  his  head,  said,  "Johnny,  my  dear 
boy,  I  'm  going  to  leave  you.  You  well  know  what  disgrace 
and  misery  your  father  brought  on  us  before  his  death,  and  I 
want  .you  to  promise  me  before  I  die  that  you  will  never  taste 
one  drop  of  the  accursed  poison  that  killed  your  father.  Prom- 
ise me  this,  and  be  a  good  boy,  Johnny,  and  I  shall  die  in 
peace."  The  scalding  tears  trickled  down  Johnny's  cheeks,  and 
he  promised  ever  to  remember  the  dying  words  of  his  mother, 
and  never  to  drink  any  spirituous  liquors;  but  he  soon  forgot  his 
promise,  and  when  he  received  the  rebuke  from  the  merchant, 
he  remembered  what  his  mother  said,  and  what  he  had  prom- 
ised her,  and  he  cried  aloud,  and  people  gazed  at  him  as  he 
passed  along,  and  boys  railed  at  him.  He  went  to  his  lodg- 
ings, and,  throwing  himself  upon  his  bed,  gave  vent  to  his  feel- 
ings in  sobs  that  were  heard  all  over  the  house. 

But  John  had  moral  courage.  He  had  energy  and  deter- 
mination, and  ere  an  hour  had  passed,  he  made  up  his  mind 
never  to  taste  another  drop  of  liquor,  nor  smoke  another  cigar, 
as  long  as  he  lived.  He  went  straight  back  to  the  merchant. 
Said  he,  "Sir,  you  very  properly  sent  me  away  this  morning 
for  habits  that  I  have  been  guilty  of ;  but,  sir,  I  have  neither 
father  nor  mother,  and  though  I  have  occasionally  done  what 
I  ought  not  to  do,  and  have  not  followed  the  good  advice  of 
my  poor  mother  on  her  death-bed,  nor  done  as  I  promised  her 
I  would  do,  yet  I  have  now  made  a  solemn  vow  never  to  drink 
another  drop  of  liquor,  nor  smoke  another  cigar  ;  and  if  you, 
sir,  will  only  try  me,  it  is  all  I  ask." 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  363 


The  merchant  was  struck  with  the  decision  and  energy  of  the 
boy,  ai.u  at  once  employed  him.  At  the  expiration  of  five 
years,  tUs  lad  was  a  partner  in  the  business,  and  is  now  worth 
ten  thousand  dollars.  He  has  faithfully  kept  his  pledge,  to 
which  he  owes  his  elevation. 

Boys,  think  of  this  circumstance,  as  you  enter  upon  the  duties 
of  life,  and  remember  upon  what  points  of  character  your  des- 
tiny for  good  or  for  evil  depends. 

199. 

CREDIT  to  a  man  is  what  cream  is  to  a  nice  cup  of  coffee — 
what  loaf  sugar  is  to  Old  Hyson  tea — it  mollifies  and  enriches 
him,  makes  a  smooth  face,  a  pair  of  beaming  eyes,  a  pleasant 
smile,  a  cheerful  tone  of  conversation,  a  sally  of  wit,  and  a 
steady,  quick  gait.  A  man  with  good  credit  never  runs  after 
patent  medicines  ;  he  keeps  a  tonic  in  his  stomach  every  day. 
He  cannot  pass  his  butcher's  cart  but  the  very  horse  seems  sen- 
sible of  his  presence,  and  stops  short  to  receive  orders.  His 
grocer  runs  with  the  "  pass  book,"  and  from  a  cent's  worth 
of  yeast,  to  a  box  of  Havana  or  a  basket  of  champagne,  he 
cheerfully  "items"  till  quarter-day.  His  creditors  had  as  lief 
take  his  note  as  the  money,  for  there  is  no  trouble  in  getting  a 
discount ;  and  his  tailor  slaps  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  says  he 
"  has  a  piece  of  broadcloth  about  the  finest,"  and  begs  him 
to  give  him  a  call. 

The  man  of  credit  walks  up  State-street,  not  with  a  strut, 
but  a  sense  of  self-respect,  which  the  feeling  "  I  owe  no  man" 
gives  to  every  one  ;  for  he  knows  his  money  is  on  deposit  and 
waiting  orders.  You  would  tell  in  an  instant  that  he  is  no 
herb-tea  drinker — no  sarsaparilla  and  dock-root  man — his  pnlse 
is  regular,  and  he  sits  down  in  arm-chairs  in  insurance  offices  as 


364  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


self-satisfied  as  President  Fillmore  in  the  chair  of  State.  He 
never  was  asked  "if  it  would  be  convenient  to  pay  that  little 
bill  to-day  ? "  in  his  life,  for  the  plain  reason,  the  man  of  good 
credit  most  generally  anticipates  his  bills  ;  consequently  he  is  not 
so  sympathetic  to  those  who  inquire,  "  Any  thing  over  to-day  ?  " 

And  then  what  a  rush  the  brokers  make  after  him !  The 
"bears  and  bulls"  are  all  ready  to  seize  him,  and  just  before 
the  "Board"  meets,  are  sharpened  to  victimize  him.  "Can- 
ton is  rising" — "  Edge  worth  tending  upward" — "buoyancy  in 
dividend-paying  stocks" — "any  orders  to-day,  Mr.  Godey?" 
Once  in  a  while  he  makes  a  purchase,  but  with  great  caution, 
and  always  when  such  a  degree  of  certainty  seems  to  hang 
over  his  operation  as  to  leave  him  no  chance  for  a  bad  dream 
at  night. 

The  man  of  credit  never  has  long  standing  accounts.  He 
always  squares  up  when  he  receives  his  dividends  ;  pays  for  his 
wife's  bonnet  when  the  milliner  sends  it  home,  for  he  knows  it 
must  be  a  convenience  to  work-women  to  receive  cash  on  the 
spot.  He  acts  up  to  the  rule  that  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy," 
and  his  religion  seems  to  influence  his  every-day  affairs — for  he 
always  contends,  a  man  troubled  a,bout  meeting  worldly  pay- 
ments, is  very  apt  to  rob  his  Maker  of  his  dues.  He  therefore 
never  subscribes  more  than  he  is  willing  to  pay  on  the  spot — 
for  he  is  worldly-wise,  and  can  narrate  to  you  how  he  attained 
his  present  experience.  He  informs  you  that  a  heavy  debt 
sorely  disturbs  the  peace  of  a  religious  society  ;  consequently 
he  never  worships  in  a  church  burdened  with  a  debt.  He 
knows  statistics,  and  can  compute  interest ;  pities  men  who  are 
obliged  to  mortgage  their  homes,  but  condemns  those  who  owe 
for  Churches.  Moreover,  he  has  a  large  acquaintance,  and  freely 
gives  his  advice  to  lone  women  and  orphan  children. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  365 


Whether  the  man  of  credit  has  many  trials  is  quite  uncertain. 
His  family  are  cheerful,  and  his  home  is  hospitable,  but  he  does 
not  always  live  on  turtle-soup  nor  water-fowls.  Beef  is  diges- 
tible and  nutritious,  and  beef  he  enjoys.  He  eats  only  the  food 
that  keeps  the  mind  clear  and  the  purse  in  a  well  condition. 
He  does  not  choose  to  go  to  Europe,  because  it  is  "  fashion- 
able;" nor  to  "Cuba,"  because  his  daughter  has  a  slight 
cough  ;  he  keeps  a  thermometer,  and  makes  a  southern  climate 
at  home. 

Easterly  winds,  and  the  trying  month  of  March,  strangely 
affect  those  whose  credit  is  impaired.  Imports  have  been  too 
great ;  exports  too  small ;  trade  does  not  show  a  healthful 
activity,  and  a  certain  "blue"  look  settles  on  his  countenance. 
This  man  drinks  his  coffee  strong,  and  occasionally  indulges  hi 
late  hours  and  high  wines.  His  wife  wears  a  velvet  cloak  and 
gay  bonnet,  but  she  has  the  "blues"  prodigiously.  No  woman 
can  be  happy  where  the  husband  has  an  empty  pocket,  and  she 
depends  on  him  to  fill  her  own.  His  credit  is  not  good,  and 
this  entails  misery  on  all  his  family  affairs. 

The  woman  of  good  credit  likewise  carries  with  her  an 
immense  advantage.  She  can  wear  what  she  pleases,  and 
every  body  knows  she  can  have  better  if  she  desires — she  can 
stay  at  home  because  every  one  knows  she  can  afford  to  go 
abroad — in  fine,  it  is  not  half  as  hard  work  to  live  and  be  a 
Christian,  as  to  be  straining  after  unattainable  goods,  fretted 
how  to  pay  for  them,  lying  down  to  bad  dreams,  and  rising 
with  a  bunch  in  one's  throat.  The  best  recipe  in  such  cases 
is  to  wrap  a  flannel  tightly  over  our  superfluous  wants,  never 
let  them  go  abroad,  and  we  shall  soon  be  able  to  swallow  with 
ease. 


366  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


200. 

WE  extract  the  following  passage  from  the  report  of  a  dis- 
course delivered  hi  the  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  by  HENRY 
WARD  BEECHER  : — 

"  There  is  not  a  single  provision  for  the  moral  conduct  of 
men,  which  does  not  bind  commercial  firms.  Evasion,  false- 
hood, fraud,  robbery,  dishonesty  and  dishonor  of  every  kind, 
are  just  the  same  before  God  in  a  commercial  firm,  as  they 
would  be  hi  a  single  member  of  it.  Nor  can  any  man  be 
allowed  to  charge  it  upon  an  abstraction,  and  say,  I  did  not  do 
it — the  firm  did  it.  If  the  firm  did  it,  that  is  only  euphemism 
— a  soft  way  of  saying  that  three  men  agreed  together  that 
each  and  all  of  them  would  defraud,  or  in  any  way  do  wrong, 
and  divide  the  profits  between  them.  Yes,  the  profits  will  be 
divided  ;  but  the  whole  villany,  unparceled  and  undivided,  will 
be  charged  up  to  eath  man !  Nor  will  God  be  mocked  ;  the 
miserable  subterfuges  which  men  employ  to  bribe  their  con- 
sciences, will  not  bribe  God.  All  the  sideway  paths,  by  which 
men  come  at  last  to  a  wickedness,  are  just  as  bad  as  the  broad 
way  itself.  If  you  procure  an  agent  to  deal  fraudulently,  or 
to  lie  ;  if  your  clerk  performs  your  will ;  or  if,  with  a  seem- 
ing ignorance,  but  a  real  knowledge  of  the  whole,  a  partner 
does  the  wrong,  God  will  hold  each  one  of  the  whole  to  be 
a  principal. 

"  Let  one  case  of  subtile  connivance  suffice  : — Two  men 
engaged  in  a  neighboring  village  in  traffic.  The  one  had  been 
a  sterling  temperance  man — the  other  not.  The  second  partner 
insisted  upon  trading  in  liquors,  and  drove  a  large  and  lucrative 
business  at  it.  The  temperance  partner  would  not  sell  it,  nor 
handle  it,  but  continued  the  partnership,  and  received  an  equal 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MJEN   OF   BUSINESS.  367 


division  of  profits !  He  scorned  the  imputation  of  partnership 
guilt !  But  when  God  confronts  him  in  judgment,  he  will 
require  of  him  not  only  as  much  as  of  his  partner,  but  the 
added  guilt  of  duplicity  and  hypocrisy.  And  he  will  be  held 
responsible  for  all  the  mischiefs  which  he  set  on  foot  by  dis- 
tributing that  inevitable  destroyer  of  man.  God  will  burn 
him  with  every  dollar  got  by  making  good  men,  bad  ;  and  bad 
men,  worse  ;  and  rich  men,  poor  ;  and  poor  men,  poorer.  God 
will  draw  from  his  eye  a  tear  for  every  tear  which  his  avarice 
has  wrung  out ;  a  groan  for  every  sigh  he  has  made  ;  a  pang 
for  every  heart-string  which  he  has  broken ;  and  for  all  the 
heart-brokenness  and  despair,  and  wild  frenzy,  or  sullen  and 
immovable  insanity  which  his  liquor  has  sent  upon  man — God 
shall  give  him  double. 

"  Reward  her  I  even  as  she.  rewarded  you,  and  double  unto  her 
double  according  to  her  works  ;  in  the  cup  which  she  hath  filled,  fill 
to  her  double."— Rev.  18:6. 

201. 

GIVE  us  the  straight-forward,  fearless,  enterprising  man  for 
business — one  who  is  worth  a  dozen  of  those  who,  when  anything 
is  to  be  done,  stop,  falter  and  hesitate,  and  are  never  ready  to 
take  a  decided  stand  !  One  turns  everything  within  his  reach 
into  gold — the  other  tarnishes  even  what  is  bright ;  the  one 
will  succeed  in  life,  and  no  adventitious  circumstances  will 
hinder  him — the  other  will  be  a  continual  drawling  moth,  never 
rising  above  mediocrity,  but  rather  falling  below.  Make  up 
your  mind  to  be  firm,  resolute  and  industrious,  if  you  desire 
prosperity.  There  is  good  in  that  saying  of  the  Apostle, 
"  Whatsoever  your  hands  find  to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy 
might." 


868  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


202. 

ONE  of  the  greatest  difficulties  in  the  way  of  elevating  the 
sailor,  says  the  Sailor's  Magazine,  grows  out  of  the  bearing  of 
his  officers.  The  latter  in  most  cases,  seem  to  think  that  their 
dignity  or  influence  will  be  compromised  by  talking  familiarly 
with  their  crews,  even  on  subjects  of  acknowledged  importance. 
This  erroneous  idea  should  be  assailed,  until  masters  and  mates 
are  convinced  that  kind  words  and  needed  counsel  will  do  more 
to  secure  obedience  and  respect  than  haughty  reserve  or  rigid 
discipline.  Officers,  by  neglect  of  manifesting  interest  in  the  per- 
sonal welfare  of  their  crews,  check  their  aspirations  and  crush 
their  better  feelings,  thus  aiding  other  formative  influences  tow- 
ards a  degraded  character.  There  is  no  danger  that  a  sailor 
will  think  he  has  a  right  to  cabin  privileges  because  the  mas- 
ter talks  with  him  about  his  plans,  and  urges  him  to  a  course 
that  may  secure  his  promotion.  Such  treatment  will  elicit 
gratitude  and  stimulate  to  good  conduct. 

203. 

A  WRITER  in  the  Boston  Post,  alluding  to  several  merchants 

who  have  recently  died,  thus  mentions  the  living.  Mr. 

has  since  deceased  : — 

"We  believe  that  ROBERT  G.  SHAW,  Esq.,  is  now  the  oldest 
active  merchant  in  this  city,  as  he  is  the  most  opulent  .one.  We 
remember  him  from  our  boyhood,  as  a  stirring,  enterprising  and 
successful  man ;  and  he  has  probably  done  as  much  for  the  city 
— has  contributed  as  largely,  by  his  wealth  and  liberal  feeling, 
towards  its  growth,  prosperity  and  business  facilities,  as  any 
other  citizen.  We  think  we  should  be  safe  in  saying  that  he  has 
done  more.  Next  in  age  to  Mr.  Shaw,  we  should  name  the 
venerable  THOMAS  B.  WALES,  a  gentleman  who  is  universally 


FOB   MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  369 


respected  by  the  commercial  classes  of  Boston,  where  he  has 
been  engaged  iu  business  for  half  a  century.  And  then  there 
is  his  brother-in-law,  JOSIAH  BRADLEE,  Esq.,  whose  sign  on  Long 
Wharf — No.  8,  we  think — we  remember  to  have  read,  when  a 
boy,  some  fifty-six  years  ago.  He  has  ever  been  an  industrious, 
active  merchant,  and,  like  the  others  that  we  have  named,  has 
accumulated,  by  a  close  devotion  to  trade,  and  strict  integrity, 
a  large  fortune.  We  might  mention  a  few  others,  who  are 
some  years  their  juniors  in  mercantile  business,  but  who  have 
amassed  large  fortunes,  and  are  as  much  respected  for  their 
generous  qualities  as  those  we  have  named.  It  is  painful  to 
think,  as  we  have  said  before,  that  they  are  all  going,  going, 
the  same  way  that  thousands  have  gone  before  them. 

"  We  have  an  anecdote  to  tell  about  Mr.  Shaw,  which  was 
never  before  in  print,  and  which,  we  think,  will  amuse  our  mer- 
cantile readers,  and  not  give  offense  to  our  venerable  friend. 
We  happened  to  be  present  when  the  occurrence  took  place.  A 
gentleman  met  him  in  the  street,  and,  upon  a  brief  conversation, 
asked  him  to  lend  him  ten  dollars,  as  he  was  short — not  an  un- 
common thing  for  him  at  the  time.  It  was  many  months  ago. 
Mr.  S.,  raising  his  spectacles,  replied  : — '  Yes,  sir,  with  plea- 
sure, on  one  condition.'  'What  is  that,  sir?'  'Why,  that 
when  we  next  meet,  you  will  turn  your  face  towards  me,  look 

pleasant,  and  not  turn  it  away  1     I  lent  Mr. a  small  sum 

of  money  about  a  month  ago,  and  ever  since  that  time  he  has 
ait  me  most  decidedly.  Meet  him  where  I  will,  on  State-street, 
Commercial-street,  or  in  the  Exchange,  and  he  always  turns  his 
head  away.  When  I  lend  a  man  money,  and  he  is  owing  me, 
I  want  him  to  look  me  full  in  the  face,  as  though  nothing  had 
happened.  And  then  I  shall  be  willing  to  lend  him  again.' 

There  is  a  veritable  story." 

16* 


370  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


204. 

DEBT  is  a  perfect  bore.  How  it  haunts  a  man  from  pillar 
to  post — lurking  in  his  breakfast  cup — poisoning  his  dinner — 
embitters  his  tea  ! — now  it  stalks  from  him  like  a  living,  moving 
skeleton,  seeming  to  announce  his  presence  by  recounting  the 
amount  of  liabilities.  How  it  poisons  his  domestic  joys,  by 
introducing  its  infernal  "balance"  into  the  calculation  of 
madam  respecting  the  price  of  a  new  carpet,  or  a  new  dress  ! 
How  it  hinders  dreamy  plans  for  speculations  and  accumula- 
tions. Botheration !  How  it  hampers  useless  energies,  crip- 
ples resolutions  too  good  to  be  fulfilled. 

At  bed  and  board,  by  night  or  by  day,  in  joy  or  grief,  in 
health  or  sickness,  at  home  or  abroad — debt,  grim,  gaunt  and 
shadowy,  falls  as  an  incumbrance.  As  no  presence  is  too  sacred, 
no  ground  is  too  holy  to  deter  the  memory  of  "bills  and  notes 
payable"  from  taking  immediate  possession,  so  no  record  is  so 
enlivening,  no  reminiscence  more  delicious  than  the  consciousness 
that  debt  has  fallen  like  a  January  morning,  twenty-nine  degrees 
below  zero 

205. 

Beware  of  thinking  all  your  own  that  you  possess,  and  of  living 
accordingly.  This  is  a  mistake  that  many  people  who  have  credit 
fall  into.  To  prevent  this,  keep  an  exact  account  for  some  time, 
both  of  your  expenses  and  your  income.  If  you  take  the  pains 
at  first  to  enumerate  particulars,  it  will  have  this  good  effect  : 
you  will  discover  how  wonderfully  small  trifling  expenses  mount 
up  to  large  sums  ;  and  will  discern  what  might  have  been,  and 
may  for  the  future  be  saved,  without  occasioning  any  great 
inconvenience. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  371 


206. 

THE  fraternal  association  of  rag-gatherers  (rJiiffonurs]  gave  a 
grand  banquet  in  Paris,  in  June,  1851.  It  took  place  at  a  public 
house  called  the  Pot  Trincolore,  near  the  Barriere  de  Fontaine- 
bleau,  which  is  frequented  by  the  rag-gathering  fraternity.  In 
this  house  there  are  three  rooms,  each  of  which  is  specially  de- 
voted to  the  use  of  different  classes  of  rag-gatherers :  one,  the 
least  dirty,  is  called  the  "  Chamber  of  Peers,"  and  is  occupied  by 
the  first  class  ;  that  is,  those  who  possess  a  basket  in  a  good 
state  and  a  crook  ornamented  with  copper ;  the  second,  called  the 
"  Chamber  of  Deputies,"  belonging  to  the  second  class,  is  much 
less  comfortable,  and  those  who  attend  it  have  baskets  and  crooks 
— not  of  first  rate  quality;  the  third  room  is  in  a  dilapidated  con- 
dition, and  is  frequented  by  the  lowest  order  of  rag-gatherers, 
who  have  no  basket  or  crook,  and  who  place  what  they  find  in 
the  streets  in  a  piece  of  sackcloth  ;  they  call  themselves  the 
"Re-union  des  Vrais  Proletaires."  The  name  of  each  room  is 
written  in  chalk  above  the  door,  and  generally  such  strict  eti- 
quette is  observed  among  the  rag-gatherers  that  no  one  goes  into 
the  apartment  not  occupied  by  his  own  class.  At  the  banquet, 
however,  all  distinctions  of  rank  were  set  aside,  and  delegates  of 
each  class  united  fraternally.  The  president  was  the  oldest  rag- 
gatherer  of  Paris;  his  age  is  eighty-eight,  and  he  is  called  the 
Emperor.  The  banquet  consisted  of  a  sort  of  olla  podrida, 
which  the  master  of  the  establishment  pompously  called  a  gibe- 
lotte,  though  of  what  animal  it  is  mainly  composed  it  was  impos- 
sible to  say.  It  was  served  up  in  huge  earthen  dishes,  and  before 
it  was  allowed  to  be  touched  payment  was  demanded  and  obtained. 
The  other  articles  were  also  paid  for  as  soon  as  they  were  brought 
in,  and  a  deposit  was  exacted  as  security  for  the  plates,  knives, 


372  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


and  forks.  The  wine,  or  what  did  duty  as  such,  was  contained 
in  an  earthen  pot,  called  the  Petit  Pere  Xoir,  and  was  filled  from 
a  gigantic  vessel  named  Le  Moricaud.  The  dinner  was  concluded 
by  each  guest  taking  a  small  glass  of  brandy.  Business  was  then 
proceeded  to.  It  consisted  in  the  reading  and  adoption  of  the 
statutes  of  the  association,  followed  by  the  drinking  of  numerous 
toasts  to  the  president,  to  the  prosperity  of  rag-gathering,  to  the 
union  of  rag-gatherers,  &c.  A  collection,  amounting  to  f  6  c  75 
was  raised  for  sick  members  of  the  fraternity.  The  guests  then 
dispersed,  but  several  of  them  remained  at  the  counter  until  they 
had  consumed,  in  brandy,  the  amount  deposited  as  security  for 
the  crockery,  knives,  and  spoons. 

207. 

IN  copying  the  following  remarks  from  an  exchange,  we  do 
not  wish  to  be  understood  as  endorsing  all  the  writer  says  on  the 
subject  of  "  Men-MiUiners,"  for  the  simple  reason  that  we  love 
freedom  in  everything  that  is  right.  If  a  man  has  a  taste  for  the 
pursuit  of  a  milliner,  or  a  woman  for  that  of  a  carpenter,  let 
them  adopt  it.  Occupation  is  everything ;  and  they  only  give 
dignity  to  it,  who  excel  in  perfecting  whatever  is  undertaken. 

"  When  we  see  stout,  able-bodied  men,  monopolizing  the  business 
and  calling  for  which  women  are  peculiarly  adapted,  and  of  the 
two  so  much  better  qualified,  to  the  serious  disadvantage,  and 
perhaps  eventual  starvation  of  the  latter,  we  feel  like  applying 
the  thumb  and  fore-finger  of  our  right  hand  to  their  nasal  organs, 
and  inflicting  a  '  twinge'  severe  enough  to  make  them  sneeze  for 
a  fortnight  thereafter.  A  man  has  no  business  whatever  in  a 
milliner  shop,  and  when  be  attempts  to  assume  the  duties  of  such 
an  establishment,  he  should  be  waited  upon  by  a  martialed  corps 
of  real  milliners,  and  compelled,  with  a  loud  and  clamorous  salu- 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  373 


tation  of  groans  and  hisses,  to  vacate  instanter.  Of  late,  females 
have  been  almost  entirely  driven  out  of  this  kind  of  business,  save, 
only,  in  the  capacity  of  half-paid  employees.  Manufacturers  have 
also  got  to  getting  up  different  styles  of  bonnets  for  every  change 
of  season,  so  that  hundreds  of  industrious  females  who  formerly 
earned  a  living  by  'doing  up'  that  article  of  dress,  are  now,  for 
the  most  part,  thrown  out  of  employment,  unless  they  accept  of 
it  in  the  '  down  town '  work-shops,  and  perform  men's  labor  for 
a  few  shillings  a  week.  Men-milliners  are  a  nuisance,  and 
should  be  ashamed  of  themselves  for  permitting  their  '  avarice ' 
to  starve  poor  women." 

208. 

SOON  after  my  arrival,  the  sailors  went  to  dinner.  Rows  of 
tables  in  symmetrical  order  were  spread  over  the  floor;  and 
seated  at  these,  I  saw  my  old  unmistakable  friends,  "  the  blue 
jackets,"  discussing  their  beef;  generally,  what  a  naval  man 
would  call  a  good  set  of  men — strong,  quiet,  self-reliant  looking 
men.  One  feels  as  if  one  was  an  intruder,  and  comforts  oneself 
with  thinking  of  one's  good  intentions — but  don't  be  alarmed, 
visitor  !  That  is  all  your  conceit.  Jack  is  nowise  disturbed  by 
your  presence.  He  cuts  his  beef,  looks  at  you  casually  as  you 
pass  in  your  inspection,  and  puts  you  quite  at  your  ease  !  I  really 
think  that  a  sailor  has  as  good  manners  as  you  ever  see  anybody 
with.  There  is  such  a  calm,  good-natured  independence  about 
him  ;  a  Neptunian  politeness,  which  carries  yon  along  like  a  fine 
rolling  wave.  Manners  being,  however,  the  characteristic  of  a 
man  "who  feels  the  dignity  of  a  man,  and  is  conscious  of  his 
own» — as  Carlyle  has  described  it,  and  as  Brummell  never  knew 
it  to  be  I  The  fact  is,  that  a  sailor  is  generally  in  a  true,  real 
position — has  certain  work  to  do — certain  people  to  obey.  There 


374  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


are  no  false  struggles,  no  sham  pretensions,  afloat.  Every  thing 
is  determined  by  book  and  order.  Jack  will  love  a  ruffian  if  he 
is  an  honest  ruffian,  and  a  barbarian  if  he  is  a  well-meaning  bar- 
barian. It  is  the  continual  value  set  on  reality  at  sea,  that  gives 
him  independence  and  self-possession.  The  ocean  knocks  him 
about  till  he  is  rounded  like  a  pebble.  Salt  water  keeps  charac- 
ter wholesome,  as  it  preserves  beef. 

209. 

ONE  of  our  religious  exchanges  has  the  following  strong  re- 
mark on  this  subject.  They  drive  the  nail  hi  to  the  head,  and 
clinch  it : — 

"Men  may  sophisticate  as  they  please ;  they  can  never  make 
it  right,  and  all  the  bankrupt  laws  in  the  universe  cannot  make 
it  right,  for  them  not  to  pay  their  debts.  There  is  a  sin  in  this 
neglect,  as  clear,  and  as  deserving  church  discipline,  as  in  stealing 
or  false  swearing.  He  who  violates  his  promise  to  pay,  or  with- 
holds the  payment  of  a  debt  when  it  is  in  his  power  to  meet  his 
engagement,  ought  to  be  made  to  feel  that  in  the  sight  of  all 
honest  men  he  is  a  swindler.  Religion  may  be  a  very  comfortable 
cloak  under  which  to  hide  ;  but  if  religion  does  not  make  a  man 
'  deal  justly,'  it  is  not  worth  having." 

210. 

EVERY  body  in  the  city  of  New  York  knows  how  active  MAYOR 
KINGSLAND  has  been  since  the  first  of  January,  1851,  in  causing 
various  nuisances  to  be  abated.  Among  his  other  reforms  he 
caused  the  boxes,  bales,  and  barrels  which  have  so  long  encum- 
bered side-walks,  in  the  business  portion  of  the  city,  to  be  re- 
moved, and  any  merchant  caught  using  the  side-walk  as  a  store- 
house was  forthwith  made  to  pay  a  penalty  for  his  violation  of 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  3t5 


the  city  ordinances.  Many  were  victims  of  the  Mayor's  unre- 
lenting adherence  to  the  laws;  and  a  vast  improvement  was 
manifest  in  the  regions  of  the  old  "burnt  district."  But  the 
Tribune  states  that  even  the  Mayor  himself  has  been  victimized 
to  a  large  extent  in  this  way.  Not  long  since,  while  the  persons 
employed  by  him  at  his  oil  store  were  engaged  in  receiving  a 
large  consignment  of  oil,  his  neighors  were  taking  notes  and 
entering  comlpaints  at  the  Mayor's  Office  for  violations  of  the 
city  laws.  The  complaints  were  well  founded,  the  proofs  abundant 
— and  before  the  wrath  of  Kingsland,  the  Mayor,  could  be  ap- 
peased, Kingsland,  the  merchant,  enriched  the  city  Treasury 
some  three  hundred  dollars. 

211. 

WE  have  received  a  pamphlet,  devoted  to  "  Thoughts  on  the 
subject  of  Influence,"  a  topic,  as  the  author  correctly  remarks, 
considered  in  its  entire  length  and  breadth,  of  an  infinite  nature, 
and  comprehending  the  universe.  The  title,  which  is  learnedly 
explained  in  the  preface,  runs  thus  : — "  A  Sermon  first  delivered 
to  various  congregations  in  Massachusetts,  and  now  preached 
from  the  Pulpit  of  Print  to  the  '  Common  People.'  By  David 
Fosdick,  Jr.,  one  of  then*  '  Order,'  and  for  several  years  Minister 
at  large  in  Massachusetts."  "  Published  by  request,"  which  also 
appears  on  the  title  page,  Mr.  Fosdick  says,  the  reader  is  at 
liberty  to  suppose,  as  perhaps  he  does  in  other  cases,  that  the 
most  important  request  was  from  the  author  to  the  bookseller. 
Dropping  the  clerical  character,  the  author  retains  the  phases  of 
the  pulpit,  with  a  sort  of  lay  signification.  Mr.  Fosdick  may  be 
known  to  our  readers,  as  the  author  of  a  series  of  essays  on  the 
"Interest  of  Money,"  which  were  originally  published,  at  inter- 
vals, in  the  Merchants'  Magazine.  The  "Sermon"  before  us 


316  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


contains  so  many  capital  "thoughts"  on  the  subject  of  "in- 
fluence," so  forcibly  and  frankly  expressed,  that  we  should  be 
glad  to  transfer  the  larger  portion  of  it  to  our  pages,  but  a  single 
extract,  and  that  not  by  any  means  the  best,  must  suffice.  It 
includes  all  that  our  "  minister  at  large"  has  t»  say,  or  rather  has 
said,  in  this  instance,  on  a  topic  that  falls  within  the  province  of 
our  particular  parish  : —  , 

"  The  idea  of  trade  is  a  very  comprehensive  one.  With  a  like 
sense  to  that  in  which  Shakspeare  says  :  '  All  the  world's  a  stage, 
and  the  men  and  women  in  it  merely  flayers,1  we  might  say:  All 
the  world's  a  shop,  and  the  men  and  women  in  it  merely  traders. 
It  would  appear  that  every  body  has  something  to  sell.  The 
spirit  of  trade,  of  Mammon,  is  certainly  a  very  prevalent  spirit 
of  the  day  in  these  United  States.  It  has  made  us  so  sharp, 
that  confidence  between  man  and  man  is  sadly  diminished. 
"When  we  hear  a  person  using  his  lungs  in  any  wise  whatever, 
we  at  once  jump  to  the  supposition  that  he  has  some  sinister 
aim  at  the  money  in  our  pockets  or  something  else  that  is  ours. 
We  regard  all  men  as  of  one  trade,  that  of  auctioneer.  If 
we  hear  a  man  explaining  and  defending  lightning-rods,  for 
example,  we  suppose  he  has  lightning-rods  to  sell — and  so  of 
other  wares. 

"  This  business  of  Trade,  in  all  its  branches  and  bearings,  much 
needs  to  be  ransacked.  Could  we  examine  it  thoroughly  by  what 
the  Sacred  Scriptures  call  '  the  candle  of  the  Lord/  we  should 
undoubtedly  find  a  great  deal  that  ought  to  be  altered.  There  is 
a  good  time  coming,  in  which  it  will  be.  I  by  no  means  say, 
with  some,  that  all  trade  must  be  inconsistent  with  pure  religion. 
It  can  be  amended,  sanctified.  Almost  every  wrong  form  of 
human  action  is  but  a  corruption  of  what,  properly  applied,  is 
useful.  I  know  of  but  one  thing  in  which  the  Bible  prohibits 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND  MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  377 


free  trade,  and  that  is  the,  truth.  'Buy  the  truth,  (says  the 
Bible, )  and  sell  it  not.' 

"  Trade,  even  in  its  imperfect  state,  has  manifestly  done  much  to 
help  on  human  freedom  :  it  had  much  to  do  with  the  settlement 
of  this  our  land  of  liberty,  as  we  fondly  style  it,  and  as  it  is,  com- 
pared with  other  lands.  Trade  bears  large  sway  at  present  in 
our  politics.  In  some  points  of  view  this  is  not  to  be  regretted. 
But  the  trading  spirit  involves  some  peculiar  perils,  from  which 
we  must  soberly  pray  :  '  Good  Lord,  deliver  us  !'  The  doctrine 
'  that  all  is  fair  in  polities'  is  the  doctrine  of  the  sharper  in  trade. 
Get  the  advantage  of  your  fellow  man,  what  matter  how,  so  the 
law  cannot  chastise  you  ?  Ah,  my  friends,  all  is  not  fair  in  pol- 
itics ;  all  is  not  fair  in  trade  :  that  is  not  fair  anywhere  which 
is  contrary  to  the  eternal  principle  of  honesty.  Only  think  of 
dishonest  politics  in  a  land  where  it  is  a  very  prevalent  principle 
that  '  honesty  is  the  best  policy.'  Prevalent,  did  I  say  ?  It  is 
a  principle  honored  with  the  lips  while  the  heart  is  far  from  it. 
Duplicity  is  the  sin  of  corrupt  trade.  It  is  a  horrible  sin  through- 
out society.  WHERE  is  TRUTH  ?  May  we  not  say  with  Isaiah  : 
1  Truth  is  fallen  in  the  street,  and  equity  cannot  enter.  Yea, 
truth  faileth,  and  he  that  departeth  from  evil  maketh  himself  a 
prey.'  How  our  politicians 

'  Sigh  and  groan 
For  public  good,  and  mean  their  own.' 

I  think  the  sin  of  duplicity  hi  politics  has  grown  upon  us  since 
the  days  of  our  fathers.  I  think  they  were  a  more  blunt,  straight- 
forward generation  than  we.  If  this  be  true,  it  is  trade  that 
has  given  us  the  infection. 

212. 

TROTH  is  a  restorative — it  saves  the  conscience,  and  keeps  up 
a  glow  of  happiness  under  all  the  workings  of  life. 


378  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


213. 

THE  yearly  report  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Aix-la- 
Chapelle  contains  a  statement  of  the  extent  to  which  smuggling 
prevails  in  that  district.  Within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  circle  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle  alone,  the  collective  sentences  of  imprisonment 
passed  on  smugglers  apprehended,  amount  to  560  months  26 
days,  and  the  fines  imposed  to  6,796  thalers,  although  the  sen- 
tences are  generally  light — a  fact  that  shows  the  number  of  per- 
sons charged  with  the  offense  to  be  great.  The  chief  article 
smuggled  is  coffee  ;  the  receipts  from  the  duty  on  it  have  been 
for  several  years  decreasing.  In  the  custom-house  of  the  district 
there  are  3,000  centners  less  coffee  annually  passed  than  in  1843 
and  1844,  although  it  is  known  that  the  consumption  has  posi- 
tively increased.  The  evasion  of  duty  on  this  article  is  estimated 
as  at  least  20,000  thalers  a  year.  In  the  course  of  last  year  121 
centners  of  coffee  were  seized  and  confiscated.  It  is  not  believed 
that  this  is  more  than  five  per  cent,  of  the  quantity  smuggled. 
Most  of  the  contraband  coffee  is  introduced  from  Holland.  The 
remedy  proposed  is  a  reduction  of  the  import  duty,  from  6£ 
thalers  (19s.  6d.)  per  centner  to  4  thalers.  The  report  states 
that  the  revenue  would  lose  nothing  by  the  change. 

214. 

THE  disadvantages  of  life  insurance  and  clubs  proceed  from 
our  organization,  and,  therefore,  are  inevitable.  The  advantages 
of  savings  banks  are  equally  organic.  A  boy  who  makes  snow- 
balls will  throw  them  away  as  fast  as  he  makes  them,  but  should 
he  chance  to  roll  up  one  of  more  than  ordinary  size,  it  will  excite 
in  him  an  ambition  to  enlarge  it,  instead  of  throwing  it  away  ; 
and  the  bigger  it  becomes  under  his  efforts,  the  stronger  will 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OP    BUSINESS.  379 


become  his  desire  for  its  further  increase.  The  principle  applies 
to  money.  The  day's  earnings  of  a  poor  man  are  cast  away  as 
soon  as  earned,  a  man's  recklessness  being  as  great  as  his 
poverty  ;  but  should  he  deposit  any  of  his  earnings  in  a  savings 
bank,  an  appetite,  for  accumulation  is  immediately  produced  by 
the  usual  possession  of  a  surplus  ;  and  the  appetite,  growing  by 
what  it  feeds  on,  will  add  an  impulse  to  the  industry  and  frugality 
of  the  depositor.  "  Eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we 
die,"  is  no  longer  the  maxim  of  such  a  man  |  but  rather,  "  refrain 
from  expenditure  to-day,  that  we  may  add  to  our  deposites  to- 
morrow." 

215. 

OUR  cotemporary  of  Cumming's  Evening  Bulletin,  (a  neutral 
and  independent  journal,)  occasionally  turns  aside  from  the 
passing  news  of  the  day  and  treats  his -readers  to  an  essay  on 
some  topic  connected  with  the  morals  and  manners  of  man  and 
society.  These  essays  are  necessarily  brief,  and  the  better  for 
that,  because  they  are  more  likely  to  be  read  and  remembered. 
As  the  subjoined  editorial  from  the  Bulletin  touches  npon  a 
subject  that  should  interest  a  part,  at  least,  of  our  particular 
"  parish,"  and  as  it  embraces  a  homily  too  good  to  be  lost,  we 
take  the  liberty  of  giving  it  a  more  permanent  record  among 
our  "Maxims  and  Miscellanies": — 

"  Faith  and  trustfulness  lies  at  the  foundation  of  trade  and 
commercial  intercourse,  and  business  transactions  of  every  kind. 
A  community  of  known  swindlers  and  knaves  would  try,  in  vain, 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  advantages  of  traffic,  or  to  gain 
access  to  those  circles  where  honor  and  honesty  are  indispen- 
sable passports.  The  reason  why  savage  hordes  are  suspected 
and  shunned,  is  because  they  are  deceitful  and  treacherous. 


380  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


We  have  no  faith  in  their  promises.  If  they  manifest  kind- 
ness and  friendship,  we  apprehend  it  is  for  the  sake  of  more 
successfully  accomplishing  their  selfish  and  malicious  purposes. 
So  of  cheats  and  knaves  under  whatever  circumstances  we  may 
meet  them.  However  fair  may  be  their  exterior,  we  know  they 
are  black  at  heart  and  we  shrink  from  them  as  from  the  most 
deadly  poison.  Hence,  the  value  which  is  attached,  by  all 
right-minded  men,  to  purity  of  purpose  and  integrity  of  char- 
acter. A  man  may  be  unfortunate,  he  may  be  poor  and  pen- 
niless, but  if  he  is  known  to  possess  unbending  integrity,  an 
unwavering  purpose  to  do  what  is  honest  and  just,  he  will  have 
friends  and  patrons  whatever  may  be  the  embarrassments  and 
exigencies  into  which  he  is  thrown.  The  poor  man  may  thus 
possess  a  capital  of  which  none  of  the  misfortunes  and  calami- 
ties of  life  can  deprive  him.  We  have  known  men  who  have 
suddenly  been  reduced^  from  affluence  to  penury  from  some  dis- 
pensation of  Providence  which  they  could  neither  forsee  nor 
prevent.  A  fire  has  swept  away  the  acuumulation  of  years, 
or  misplaced  confidence,  or  a  flood,  or  some  of  the  thousand 
casualties  to  which  we  are  exposed,  has  stripped  them  of  their 
possessions.  To-day,  they  are  prosperous ;  to-morrow,  every 
earthly  prospect  is  blighted,  and  everything  in  its  aspect  is 
dark  and  dismal.  Their  business  is  gone,  their  property  is 
gone,  and  they  feel  that  all  is  gone.  But  they  have  a  rich 
treasure  which  the  fire  cannot  consume,  which  the  flood  can- 
not carry  away.  They  have  integrity  of  character,  and  this 
gives  them  influence,  and  raises  up  friends,  and  furnishes  them 
with  pecuniary  aid. 

"  Young  men,  especially,  should  be  deeply  impressed  with  the 
vast  importance  of  cherishing  those  principles,  and  of  culti- 
vating those  habits  which  will  secure  for  them  the  confidence 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  381 


and  the  esteem  of  the  wise  and  the  good.  Let  it  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  no  brilliancy  of  genius,  no  tact  or  talent  in  business, 
and  no  amount  of  success  will  compensate  for  duplicity,  shuffling 
and  trickery.  There  may  be  apparent  advantage  in  the  art 
of  dissimulation,  and  in  violating  those  great  principles  whicli 
lie  at  the  foundation  of  truth  and  duty.  But  it  will  at  length, 
be  seen,  that  a  pound  was  lost  where  a  penny  was  gained  ;  that 
present  successes  are  outweighed,  a  thousand  fold,  by  the  pains 
and  penalties  which  result  from  loss  of  confidence  and  loss  of 
character.  It  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed  upon  our  young 
men  to  abstain  from  every  course,  from  every  act,  which  shocks 
their  moral  sensibilities,  wounds  their  consciences,  and  has  a 
tendency  to  weaken  that  nice  sense  of  honor  and  integrity  so 
indispensable  to  character.  The  habit  of  concealment,  of  dis- 
simulation, of  telling  "white  lies,"  as  Mrs.  Opie  calls  them,  is 
most  disastrous  in  all  its  influences  and  issues.  How  many  have 
become  confirmed  liars,  and  been  consigned  to  dishonor -and 
infamy,  who  began  their  career  in  this  way  I  Language  is 
utterly  inadequate  to  describe  the  amazing,  the  infinite  import- 
ance to  our  young  men  of  forming  their  characters  by  the  right 
models,  and  in  accordance  with  the  unchanging  principles  of 
truth.  "Who  has  not  read  with  deep  interest  the  incident  in 
the  life  of  Washington,  who,  when  he  had  injured  a  favorite 
tree  of  his  father's,  frankly  confessed  his  offense,  because  he 
'  could  not  tell  a  lie.'  Here  was  manifest  one  of  those  essen- 
tial elements  of  character  which  made  Washington  '  first  in 
war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  heart's  of  his  countrymen.' 

"  INTEGRITY  OF  CHARACTER  !  who  ever  possessed  it,  that  did 
not  derive  untold  advantages  from  it  ?  It  is  better  than  the 
gold  of  Ophir ;  it  is  of  more  value  than  diamonds,  '  and  all 
precious  stones.'  And  yet  every  man  may  possess  it.  The 


382  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


poorest  may  have  it,  and  no  power  can  wrest  it  from  them. 
To  young  men,  we  say  with  earnestness  and  emphasis,  look  at 
integrity  of  character  with  the  blessings  it  confers,  and  imbibe 
such  principles  and  pursue  such  a  course,  that  its  benefits  may 
be  yours.  It  is  a  prize  so  rich,  that  it  repays  every  sacrifice 
.  and  every  toil,  necessary  to  secure  it.  Suppose  a  mercantile 
community  could  be  found  whose  every  individual  was  known 
and  acknowledged  to  possess  strict  and  uncompromising  integ- 
rity ;  the  representations  of  each  one  were  in  strict  accordance 
with  truth  ;  '  his  word  as  good  as  his  bond  1 '  Such  a  com- 
munity would  have  a  monopoly  of  the  trade,  so  far  as  they  had 
the  means  of  supplying  the  demand.  '  The  tricks  of  trade,' 
whatever  be  their  apparent  advantages,  impair  confidence,  and 
in  the  end,  injure  those  who  practice  them  far  more  than  they 
benefit  them.  It  is  a  short-sighted,  as  well  as  a  guilty  policy, 
to  swerve,  under  any  circumstances,  from  those  great  principles 
which  are  of  universal  and  everlasting  obligation.  Let  a  man 
maintain  his  integrity  at  all  tunes,  and  he  will  be  satisfied 
there  is  a  blessing  in  it,  and  a  blessing  flowing  from  it,  and 
a  blessing  all  around  it." 

216. 

THE  following  passage  occurs  in  a  lecture  on  Character,  de- 
livered by  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER,  first  before  the  Mercantile 
Library  Association  of  Boston,  and  afterwards  at  the  Taber- 
nacle in  New  York,  at  the  instance  of  a  number  of  conscien- 
tious merchants,  who  "  liked  to  be  preached  to  "  : — 

"  Commercial  men  do  not  love  conscience.  I  speak  of  them 
not  as  men,  but  as  commercial  men.  Practical  commerce,  at 
best,  is  as  cold  as  a  stone.  Business  is  business.  On  Sunday, 
the  exemplary  merchant  hears  from  the  pulpit,  '  Look  not  every 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  383 


man  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of 
others/  and  fie  says  amen  to  that.  On  Monday  he  hears  the 
genius  of  Commerce  say,  '  Every  man  for  himself/  and  he 
says  amen  to  that.  He  has  one  conscience  for  Sunday,  and 
another  conscience  for  Monday.  If  I  wished  to  send  conster- 
nation along  the  exchange,  and  panic  to  the,  tables  of  the 
money-changers,  I  would  not  send  war  nor  pestilence,  but  I 
would  bring  down  love's  brightest  angel,  Benevolence,  before 
the  sweet  splendor  of  whose  face  the  financial  men  would  flee 
away.  Why  !  the  "Lord's  Prayer  would  bring  down  fire  from 
heaven  if  answered.  '  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven,1  would  be  the  death-knell  of  banks  and  offices  ;  the 
caucus  would  vomit  out  its  impurity  ;  the  slave  go  up  ;  the 
master  would  go  down  ;  the  crooked  places  would  be  made 
straight,  and  the  rough  places  smooth.  If  every  brick  in  every 
wall  that  had  been  laid  in  transgression,  and  every  nail  driven 
in  sin,  and  every  bale  and  box  brought  forth  in  iniquity,  were 
to  groan  and  sigh,  how  many  articles  around  us  would  remain 
silent  ?  How  men  would  shriek  and  cry  out,  '  Art  thou  come 
to  torment  us  before  the  tune?'  If  every  article  of  trade  in 
any  store,  that  was  there  through  wrong,  were  to  fly  through 
the  air  to  the  rightful  ownership,  what  a  flight  of  bales  and 
boxes  and  sugar  casks  should  we  see  1  The  Lord's  Prayer 
would  be  a  very  unsafe  prayer  to  pray,  if  it  were  answered. 
But  is  not  the  wrong  as  much  here,  as  if  it  were  thus  demon- 
strated before  our  eyes  ?  " 

217. 

RASCALS  may  flourish,  but  honest  men  will  out-sleep  them. 

Lying  won't  stand  while  truth  is  truth. 

Risk  anything  before  you  risk  your  reputation. 


384  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


218. 

A  MAN  who  is  furnished  with  arguments  from  the  mint,  will 
convince  his  antagonist  much  sooner  than  one  who  draws  them 
from  reason  and  philosophy.  Gold  is  a  wonderful  clearer  of  the 
understanding ;  it  dissipates  every  doubt  and  scruple  in  an  in- 
stant ;  accommodates  itself  to  the  meanest  capacities  ;  silences 
the  loud  and  clamorous  j  and  brings  over  the  most  obstinate  and 
inflexible.  Philip  of  Macedon  was  a  man  of  most  invincible 
reason  this  way.  He  refuted  by  it  all  the  wisdom  of  Athens, 
confounded  their  statesmen,  struck  their  orators  dumb,  and,  at 
length,  argued  them  out  of  all  their  liberties. 

219. 

As  in  no  department  of  life  is  success  more  earnestly  desired, 
or  more  perseveringly  sought,  than  in  mercantile  pursuits,  it  will 
not  be  out  of  place  in  a  work  like  the  present  to  exhibit  all  the 
aids  and  hindrances  to  a  consummation  so  devoutly  wished  by 
the  thousands  that  crowd  the  marts  and  thorougfares  of  com- 
mercial life.  With  this  view  we  quote  some  sensible  suggestions 
from  the  author  of  "  Companions  of  my  Solitude"  which  the 
reader  is  at  liberty  "  to  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest"  at  his 
leisure : — 

"  One  of  the  great  aids,  or  hindrances,  to  success  in  anything 
lies  in  the  temperament  of  a  man.  I  do  not  know  yours  ;  but 
I  venture  to  point  out  to  you  what  is  the  best  temperament ; 
namely,  a  combination  of  the  desponding  and  the  resolute,  or, 
as  I  had  better  express  it,  of  the  apprehensive  and  the  resolute. 
Such  is  the  temperament  of  great  commanders.  Secretly,  they 
rely  upon  nothing  and  upon  nobody.  There  is  such  a  powerful 
element  of  failure  in  all  human  affairs,  that  a  shrewd  man  is 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  385 


always  saying  to  himself,  What  shall  I  do,  if  that  which  I  count 
upon  does  not  come  out  as  I  expect?  This  foresight  dwarfs 
and  crushes  all  but  men  of  great  resolution. 

"  Then,  be  not  over  choice  in  looking  out  for  what  may  exactly 
suit  you ;  but  rather  be  ready  to  adopt  any  opportunities  that 
occur.  Fortune  does  not  stoop  often  to  take  any  one  up.  Fa- 
vorable opportunities  will  not  happen  precisely  in  the  way  that 
•you  have  imagined.  Nothing  does.  Do  not  be  discouraged, 
therefore,  by  a  present  detriment  hi  any  course  which  may  lead 
to  something  good.  Time  is  so  precious  here. 

"  Get,  if  you  can,  into  one  or  other  of  the  main  grooves  of 
human  affairs.  It  is  all  the  difference  of  going  by  railway,  and 
walking  over  a  ploughed  field,  whether  you  adopt  common 
courses,  or  set  up  one  for  yourself.  You  will  see,  if  your  tunes 
are  anything  like  ours,  most  inferior  persons  highly  placed  hi  the 
army,  in  the  church,  in  office,  at  the  bar.  They  have  somehow 
got  upon  the  line,  and  have  moved  on  well  with  very  little  orig- 
inal motive  power  of  their  own  Do  not  let  this  make  you 
talk  as  if  merit  were  utterly  neglected  in  these  or  any  professions  ; 
only  that  getting  well  into  the  groove  will  frequently  do  instead 

of  any  great  excellence. 

*  *  *  •  *  * 

"  Whatever  happens,  do  not  be  dissatisfied  with  your  worldly 
fortunes,  lest  that  speech  be  justly  made  to  you,  which  was  once 
made  to  a  repining  person  much  given  to  talk  of  how  great  she 
and  hers  had  been.  'Yes,  madam,'  was  the  crushing  reply, 
'  we  all  find  our  level  at  last.' 

"  Eternally  that  fable  is  true,  of  a  choice  being  given  to  men 
on  their  entrance  into  life.  Two  majestic  women  stand  before 
you  :  one  in  rich  vesture,  superb,  with  what  seems  like  a  mural 
crown  on  her  head,  and  plenty  in  her  hand,  and  something  of 

17 


386  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


triumph,  I  will  not  say  of  boldness,  in  her  eye ;  and  she,  the 
queen  of  this  world,  can  give  you  many  things.  The  other  is 
beautiful,  but  not  alluring,  nor  rich,  nor  powerful ;  and  there  are 
traces  of  care,  and  shame,  and  sorrow  in  her  face  ;  and  (mar- 
velous to  say)  her  look  is  downcast  and  yet  noble.  She  can  give 
you  nothing,  but  she  can  make  you  somebody.  If  you  cannot 
bear  to  part  from  her  sweet,  sublime  countenance,  which  hardly 
veils  with  sorrow  its  infinity,  follow  her  ;  follow  her,  I  say,  if 
you  are  really  minded  so  to  do  ;  but  do  not,  while  you  are  on 
this  track,  look  back  with  ill-concealed  envy  on  the  glittering 
things  which  fall  in  the  path  of  those  who  prefer  to  follow  the 
rich  dame,  and  to  pick  up  the  riches  and  honors  which  fall  from 
her  cornucopia. 

"This  is,  in  substance,  what  a  true  artist  said  to  me  only  the 
other  day,  impatient,  as  he  told  me,  of  the  complaints  of  those 
who  would  pursue  art,  and  yet  would  have  fortune." 

220. 

WE  love  our  upright-energetic  men.  Pull  them  this  way,  and 
then  that  way,  and  the  other,  and  they  only  bend,  but  never 
break.  Trip  them  down,  and  in  a  trice  they  are  on  their  feet. 
Bury  them  in  the  mud,  and  in  an  hour  they  will  be  out  and 
bright.  They  are  not  ever  yawning  away  existence,  or  walking 
about  the  world  as  if  they  had  come  into  it  with  only  half  their 
soul ;  you  cannot  keep  them  down — you  cannot  destroy  them. 
But  for  these  the  world  would  soon  degenerate.  They  are  the 
salt  of  the  earth.  Who  but  they  start  any  noble  project  ?  They 
build  our  cities  and  rear  our  manufactories.  They  whiten  the 
ocean  with  their  sails,  and  they  blacken  the  heavens  with  the 
smoke  of  their  steam-vessels  and  furnace  fires.  They  draw 
treasures  from  the  mine.  They  plow  the  earth.  Blessings  on 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  387 


them  !  Look  to  them,  young  men,  and  take  courage  ;  imitate 
their  example,  catch  the  spirit  of  their  energy  and  enterprise, 
and  study  the  pages  of  the  Merchants'  Magazine,  and  you  will 
deserve  and  no  doubt  command  success. 

221. 

A  WRITER  complains  that  the  business  hours  of  Boston  close  at 
2  instead  of  4  o'clock,  as  in  New  York,  thus  shortening  the  time 
for  making  purchases  and  cheapening  goods.  He  says,  very 
feelingly,  that  "  there  is  a  loss  of  precious  time  for  business  pur- 
poses." Our  opinion  is,  if  it  is  worth  anything,  that  there  is 
too  much  "precious  time"  lost  in  "business  purposes,"  and  too 
little  expended  for  higher  advantages  than  dollars  and  cents.  As 
people  live  around  us,  it  would  seem  as  if  there  was  nothing  but 
money  worth  striving  for  ;  and  every  energy  of  mind  and  body 
must  be  exerted  for  its  attainment.  Gtt  rich !  appears  to  be 
the  rule  that  men  have  written  on  their  hearts,  and  it  is  a 
"waste  of  precious  time"  to  turn  aside  for  a  moment  from  its 
direction. 

222. 

THE  young  man  who  leaves  the  farm-field  for  the  merchant's 
desk  or  the  lawyer's  or  doctor's  office,  thinking  to  dignify  or 
ennoble  his  toil,  makes  a  sad  mistake.  He  passes,  by  that  step, 
from  independence  to  vassalage.  He  barters  a  natural  for  an 
artificial  pursuit,  and  he  must  be  the  slave  of  the  caprice  of  cus- 
tomers and  the  chicane  of  trade,  either  to  support  himself  or  to 
acquire  fortune.  The  more  artificial  a  man's  pursuit,  the  more 
debasing  is  it  morally  and  physically.  To  test  it,  contrast  the 
merchant's  clerk  with  the  plowboy.  The  former  may  have  the 
most  exterior  polish,  but  the  latter,  under  his  rough  outside,  pos- 


388  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


sesses  the  truer  stamina.  He  is  the  freer,  franker,  happier,  and 
nobler  man.  Would  that  young  men  might  judge  of  the  dignity 
of  labor  by  its  usefulness  and  manliness,  rather  than  by  the  super- 
ficial glosses  it  wears.  Therefore,  we  never  see  a  man's  nobility 
in  his  kid  gloves  and  toilet  adornments,  but  in  that  sinewy  arm, 
whose  outlines,  browned  by  the  sun,  betoken  a  hardy,  honest 
toiler,  under  whose  fanner's  or  mechanic's  vest  a  kingliest  heart 

may  beat. 

223. 

PERHAPS  the  reader  may  have  a  penchant,  as  a  friend  of  ours 
has,  for  buying  things  cheap.  We  say  perhaps — for  it  is  a  weak- 
ness with  which  many  are  troubled,  and  it  is  a  most  expensive 
one.  There  are  many  who  have  been  tempted  to  lay  up  goods 
where  moth  and  rust  doth  corrupt,  merely  because  they  were  ob- 
tained cheap ;  but  it  is  a  poor  policy,  and  patronizing  peddlers 
is  a  still  poorer  one.  One  of  these  wandering  Jews  stept  into  a 
counting  room  a  few  days  since,  and,  after  warming  his  hands, 
turned  to  the  gentleman  occupying  the  seat  of  authority,  just 
then  busily  engaged  in  weighing  the  evidence  regarding  the  true 
cause  of  the  recent  Whig  defeat,  so  admirably  and  differently 
attributed  by  the  Atlas,  the  Daily  Advertiser,  and  the  Courier, 
and  politely  inquired  if  he  would  like  to  look  at  a  vest  pattern  ? 

"  No,  no  !    Don't  bother  me.     Yery  busy  just  now." 

"  It  is  the  best  article  and  the  neatest  pattern  that  you  ever 
saw." 

"  Don't  want  any  vest  patterns." 

"  But  just  look,  sir," — and  the  peddler  had  a  piece  of  vesting 
unfolded,  which  was  really  quite  neat,  and  the  cogitator,  unable 
to  unravel  the  political  web,  determined  to  unravel  the  web  of 
the  fabric.  "  All  silk,  sir  ;  warranted,  and  sufficient  for  two 
double-breasted  vests,  or  three  with  rolling  collars." 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  389 


"  What  do  you  ask  for  it  ?" 

"Twelve  dollars.  I  bought  it  in  Liverpool,  and  brought  it 
over  with  me,  and  if  you  want  it  you  shall  have  it  for  just  what 
it  cost  me — twelve  dollars." 

"It  is  too  much,  sha'n't  give  any  such  a  price — but  will  give 
you  six  dollars." 

"  Oh,  my  gracious,"  exclaimed  the  peddler,  as  if  astonished  at 
such  an  offer,  "  I  can't  think  of  it ;"  off  he  walked.  In  ten 
minutes  the  door  was  opened,  and  the  peddler  thrust  in  his  head : 
"  You  may  have  it  for  ten  dollars." 

"  No,"  was  all  the  reply  he  got. 

"  I  will  say  eight,  as  the  very  lowest." 

"  No,  sir," — and  away  went  the  peddler  a  second  time.  The 
gentleman  was  about  relapsing  into  his  revery  upon  the  disputed 
question  already  mentioned,  when  the  peddler  re-entered  boldly, 
and  laid  the  vesting  on  the  desk,  exclaiming,  "  Well,  give  us  six 
dollars,  and  it  is  yours."  The  money  was  paid,  and  the  peddler 
was  about  leaving  the  door,  when  he  turned  round  and  took 
from  his  pocket  another  roll,  and,  undoing  it,  exposed  to  view 
a  piece  of  vesting,  as  far  preferable  to  the  other  as  the  new 
building  on  the  corner  of  State-street  exceeds  in  height  all  its 
neighbors. 

The  gentleman  at  once  made  a  proposal  to  exchange.  The 
peddler  couldn't  think  of  such  a  thing  ;  he  didn't  mean  to  sell  it 
on  any  account ;  he  intended  to  keep  it  till  he  was  able  to  have 
it  made  up  for  himself— but,  after  considerable  trading  and  talk- 
ing, he  gave  it  up,  received  his  first  piece  and  two  dollars,  and 
walked  off,  making  eight  dollars  for  his- piece  of  vesting.  The 
gentleman,  quite  satisfied  with  the  exchange,  walked  up  to  his 
tailor's  at  noon,  threw  down  the  piece,  ordering  him  to  cut  off 
sufficient  for  one  vest. 


390  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


"  How  many  vests  do  you  expect  it  will  make?"  inquired  the 
tailor. 

"  Three,  of  course,"  was  the  reply. 

The  yard  stick  went  down,  and  looking  up,  he  informed  the 
purchaser  that  it  would  make  two,  by  piecing  out  the  collar  with 
black  silk.  The  idea  of  measuring  the  article  had  not  occurred 
to  him  before,  but  at  this  piece  of  news,  he  felt  a  kind  of  film 
spread  over  his  eyes,  a  lightness  of  pocket  troubling  his  ribs, 
while  the  letters  s-o-l-d,  by  a  delusion  of  his  optical  nerves,  ap- 
peared to  be  written  on  the  outer  walls  of  all  adjacent  buildings. 
He  then  inquired  the  probable  worth,  and  was  informed  that 
such  vesting  could  be  purchased  at  about  two  and  a  quarter  per 
yard.  This  was  sufficient.  He  has  resolved  never  to  patronize 
a  peddler,  but  to  extend  his  patronage  to  those  good  tax-paying 
citizens  who  have  a  local  habitation  and  a  name. 

224. 

THERE  are  a  good  many  merchants  who  think  that  honesty  in 
every-day  business  matters  is  incompatible  with  success.  They 
seem  to  think  that  in  order  to  get  along  they  must  practice  a 
certain  degree  of  trickery  and  deception.  They  argue  that  the 
up-and-down  honest  man,  who  will  not  swerve  from  the  path  ol 
rectitude,  is  sure  to  fail  in  whatever  he  undertakes ;  and  hence 
they  justify  themselves  in  practicing  petty  as  well  as  wholesale 
dissimulation,  and  in  taking  advantage  of  the  verdancy  of  their 
customers,  under  the  plea  that  custom  and  necessity  compel  them 
to  adopt  this  course.  The  high-wayman  might,  with  as  good  a 
degree  of  plausibility,  advance  a  similar  theory  to  justify  his  de- 
predations, only  that  his  "calling"  is  not  quite  as  general  as  that 
of  the  merchant.  There  are  not  so  many  men  who  threaten  your 
life,  if  you  do  not  comply  with  their  demands,  as  there  are  dealers 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  391 


who  justify  general  imposition  and  fraud,  and  that  makes  the 
seeming  difference  between  the  honesty  of  the  highway  robber 
and  that  of  the  merchant  who  deliberately  utters  untruths,  and 
misrepresents  the  value  of  an  article  in  order  that  he  may  effect 
a  sale  of  goods. 

We  firmly  believe  that  the  man  who  possesses  the  requisite 
business  qualifications,  can  succeed  better  in  the  mercantile  field 
by  pursuing  an  honest  straight-forward  course,  than  if  he  were 
to  deaden  his  conscience  and  disregard  all  moral  obligations  by 
amassing  riches  (to  last  for  a  brief  period)  at  the  expense  of  the 
unwary  and  inexperienced,  and  in  defrauding  people  generally, 
not  openly,  but  "  on  the  sly,"  as  the  custom  is.  We  frequently 
hear  the  expression  made  in  reference  to  some  good-natured,  in- 
active, old-womanish  man,  "  Oh,  he's  too  honest  to  get  along}7 
Now  this  is  a  false  inference,  for  in  nffle  cases  out  of  ten  the 
honest  man's  failure  does  not  arise  from  the  practice  of  an  honest 
course,  but  from  his  unfitness  for  the  business  in  which  he  is  en- 
gaged. We  do  not  by  any  means  intend  to  convey  the  impres- 
sion that  honesty  will  cause  a  man  who  is  not  qualified  for  the 
business  in  which  he  is  engaged  to  succeed.  What  we  mean  to 
assert,  and  the  impression  that  we  would  leave  on  the  minds  of 
the  readers  of  the  Ledger,  is  that  a  man  who  is  adapted  for  a 
certain  pursuit  will  and  must  necessarily  succeed  better  by  dealing 
honestly  and  uprightly  than  by  cheating  and  defrauding  when  he 
thinks  he  will  not  be  detected. 

But  in  addition  to  the  matter  of  success,  how  cheerful  and 
pleasant  is  the  condition  of  the  man  who  knows  and  feels  that  he 
is  doing  an  honest  business — a  business  which  his  conscience 
approves  !  This  is  of  more  value  to  him  than  the  possession  of 
millions.  It  is  a  source  of  happiness  which  the  fashionable 
swindler  never  can  realize  nor  appreciate.  Let  every  honest 


392  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


merchant,  then,  be  encouraged  by  these  reflections,  and  if  he 
does  not  amass  wealth  as  rapidly  as  he  could  desire,  he  can  find 
abundant  consolation  in  the  old  version  of  the  words  of  the 
"  sweet  singer  of  Israel : " — 

"  A  little  that  a  just  man  hath 

IB  more  and  better  far, 
Than  is  the  wealth  of  many  such 

As  false  and  wicked  are. 

***** 

"  I  have  been  young,  but  now  am  old, 

Yet  have  I  never  seen 
The  just  man  left,  nor  that  his  seed 
For  bread  have  beggars  been." 

225. 

A  STRANGE  old  man  is4ie,  who  may  be  seen  any  day,  be  it  cold 
or  hot,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Poydras  Market,  with  a  bundle 
of  socks  hi  his  hand  or  on  the  banquette  beside  him.  Selling 
socks  is  now  his  only  business  ;  yet  time  was  when  it  was  not  so. 
Of  the  multiform  mutations  of  human  life,  that  old  man  has  ex- 
perienced more  than  mortal's  share.  See  how  he  mutters  to  him- 
self, and  smiles,  half  insanely,  as  he  praises  his  wares  to  his  real 
or  pretended  customers  !  One  eye  is  closed,  and  the  lid  is  swollen, 
and  the  face  of  the  sock  seller  is  covered  with  scars.  These  are 
traces  left  in  the  old  man's  face  by  assassin  burglars,  who,  some 
two  years  ago,  robbed  him  of  his  goods,  and  left  him  as  one  dead, 
in  his  house  on  Circus-street.  It  was  long  before  this  old  man 
recovered,  and  when  he  did,  his  intellect  was  a  wreck,  and  noth- 
ing save  his  business  habits  were  left  to  save  him  from  total 
insanity.  Since  then  he  has  followed  the  business  of  selling 
socks. 

But  it  were  unjust  to  the  old  man  to  give  so  imperfect  an 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  393 


abstract  of  his  history.  Let  as  roll  back  the  tide  of  time  some 
quarter  of  a  century,  and  a  tall,  fine-looking  gentleman  may  be 
observed  walking  down  Broadway,  in  New  York.  Fair  ladies 
ogle  him  as  he  passes,  and  feel  flattered  when  he  smiles  on  them. 
And  is  it  strange  ? — for  the  smiler  of  that  day  is  a  wholesale 
merchant  of  princely  fortune  !  After  that,  changes  came.  The 
merchant,  broken  in  fortune,  removed  to  New  Orleans,  and  his 
remains  may  now  be  found  in  the  muttering  sock  seller  of  the 
Poydras  Market.  There  is  a  strange  tale  of  love  connected  with 
the  old  man. 

226. 

"  A  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth,  two  in  the  bush."  The  extreme 
caution  ridiculed  by  this  proverb  is  of  a  kind  which  one  would 
hardly  have  expected  to  be  popular  in  a  commercial  country. 
If  this  were  acted  upon,  there  would  be  an  end  of  trade  and 
Commerce,  and  all  capital  would  lie  dead  at  the  banker's — as  a 
bird  who  was  held  safe.  The  truth  is,  our  whole  practice  is  of 
a  directly  opposite  kind.  We  regard  a  bird  in  the  hand  as  worth 
only  a  bird  ;  and  we  know  there  is  no  chance  of  making  it  worth 
two  birds — not  to  speak  of  the  hope  of  a  dozen — without  letting 
it  out  of  the  hand.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  proverb  also* 
means  to  exhort  us  not  to  give  up  a  good  certainty  for  a  tempting 
uncertainty,  we  do  most  fully  coincide  in  its  prudence  and  sound 
sense.  It  is  identical  with  the  French,  "  Mieux  vaut  un  '  tiens' 
que  deux  '  tu  Pam-as,'" — one  "take  this"  is  better  than  two 
"  thou  shalt  have  it ; "  identical  also  with  the  Italian :  "  E 
meglio  un  uoro  oggi,  eke,  una  gattina  domani ; "  an  egg  to-day  is 
better  than  a  hen  to-morrow.  It  owes  its  origin  to  the  Arabic — 
"  A  thousand  cranes  in  the  air  are  not  worth  one  sparrow  in 

the  fist." 

17* 


394  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


227. 

ON  the  10th  of  March,  1852,  a  singular  old  custom  was  re- 
vived at  Hamburg.  When  the  Exchange  was  thronged  at  high 
noon,  two  of  the  city  drummers  appeared  in  uniform  before  the 
entrance  and  beat  a  roll  ten  minutes  long.  Then  over  the  great 
door  of  the  Exchange  they  suspended  a  black  tablet  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  a  bankrupt  merchant  who  had  absconded. 
When  this  was  done,  the  bell  in  one  of  the  towers — the  bell  of 
shame — rang  for  two  hours.  The  tablet  remains  for  three 
months  and  a  day.  In  many  German  cities  the  bankrupt,  as  a 
sign  of  his  condition,  is  compelled  to  wear  a  straw  hat  for  a  year 
and  a  day. 

228. 

WE  have  before  us,  says  the  Boston  Traveler,  a  private  letter 
from  a  lady,  though  a  hard-working  woman,  in  Calfornia.  It  would 
interest  our  readers,  we  have  no  doubt,  as  it  has  us,  were  we  at 
liberty  to  publish  it  entire.  The  writer  appears  to  keep  a  res- 
taurant or  eating-house,  in  a  mining  village.  Among  her  visitors 
she  accidentally  discovers  the  son  of  an  old  Connecticut  acquain- 
tance, and  finding  he  was  endeavoring  to  induce  his  father  and 
mother  to  visit  California,  she  writes  this  letter  to  encourage 
them  forward.  After  an  introductory  explanation  of  who  she 
was,  and  where  they  became  acquainted  with  each  other,  she 
goes  on  to  say  : — 

"  I  have  made  about  eighteen  thousand  dollars  worth  of  pies 
— about  one  third  of  this  has  been  clear  profit.  One  year  I 
dragged  my  own  wood  off  the  mountains  and  chopped  it,  and  I 
have  never  had  so  much  as  a  child  to  take  a  step  for  me  in  this 
country.  Eleven  thousand  dollars  I  baked  in  one  little  iron 
skillet,  a  considerable  portion  by  a  camp  fire,  without  the  shelter 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OP    BUSINESS.  395 


of  a  tree  from  the  broiling  sun.  But  now  I  have  a  good  cooking 
etove,  in  which  I  bake  four  pies  at  a  time,  a  comfortable  cabin, 
carpeted,  and  a  good  many  '  Robinson  Crusoe'  comforts  about 
me,  which,  though  they  have  cost  nothing,  yet  they  make  my 
place  look  habitable.  I  also  hire  my  wood  hauled  and  chopped. 
I  bake  on  an  average  about  twelve  hundred  pies  per  month, 
and  clear  two  hundred  doUars.  This,  in  California,  is  not 
thought  much,  and  yet,  in  reality,  few  in  comparison  are  doing 
as  well. 

"  I  have  been  informed  there  are  some  women  in  our  town 
clearing  fifty  dollars  per  week  at  washing,  and  I  cannot  doubt  it. 
There  is  no  labor  so  well  paid  as  women's  labor  in  California.  It 
is  hard  work  to  apply  one's  self  incessantly  to  toil,  but  a  few 
years  will  place  you  above  want  with  a  handsome  independency. 
I  intend  to  leave  off  work  the  coming  spring,  and  give  my  busi- 
ness into  the  hands  of  my  sister-in-law.  Not  that  I  am  rich,  but 
I  need  little,  and  have  none  to  toil  for  but  myself.  I  expect  to 
go  home  some  time  during  the  present  year,  for  a  short  visit,  but 
I  could  not  be  long  content  away  from  the  sunny  clime  of  this 
yellow  land.  A  lovelier  or  more  healthy  climate  could  not  be, 
and  when  I  get  a  few  friends  about  me,  I  think  I  shall  be  nearly 
happy  again." 

229. 

A  THIN,  cadaverous-looking  German,  about  fifty  years  of  age, 
entered  the  office  of  a  Health  Insurance  Company  in  Indiana,  on 
the  first  day  "of  May,  1852,  says  the  Daily  Courier,  and  in- 
quired— 

"  Ish  te  man  in  vot  inshures  de  people's  helts  ?" 

The  agent  politely  answered,  "  I  attend  to  that  business,  sir." 

"  Yell,  I  vants  mine  helts  inshured  ;  vot  you  charge  ?" 

"  Different  prices,"  answered  the  agent,  "  from  three  to  ten 


396  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


dollars  a  year  ;  pay  ten  dollars  a  year,  and  you  get  ten  dollars 
a  week  in  case  of  sickness." 

"  Veil,"  said  Mynheer,  "  I  vants  ten  dollar  vort." 

The  agent  inquired  his  state  of  health. 

"  Yell,  I  ish  sick  all  the  time.  Fse  shust  out  te  bed  too  tree 
hours  a  tay,  und  te  doctor  says  he  can't  do  noting  more  goot 
for  me." 

"  If  that's  the  state  of  your  health,"  returned  the  agent,  "  we 
can't  insure  it.  We  only  insure  persons  who  are  in  good  health." 

At  this  Mynheer  bristled  up  in  great  anger. 

"  You  must  tink  I'se  a  tarn  fool ;  vot  you  tink  I  come  pay 
you  ten  dollar  for  inshure  my  helt,  ven  I  vos  veil  1 " 

• 

230. 

SOME  are  not  honest  "in  buying  or  selling.  Their  rule  is,  to  buy 
at  all  times  as  cheap  as  they  can,  and  sell  as  dear  as  they  can. 
This  is  a  wicked  rule.  We  often  trade  with  those  who  do  not 
know  the  worth  of  the  thing  bought  or  sold.  It  is  cheating 
them,  to  make  the  best  bargain  we  can.  Sometimes  we  trade 
with  those  who  are  in  great  want,  and  we  fix  our  own  prices,  and 
make  them  much  too  high  if  we  sell,  or  too  low  if  we  buy.  There 
is  a  fair  price  for  everything.  Let  that  be  paid  or  taken  for 
everything.  He  who  is  just  and  true,  and  loves  his  nighbor  as 
himself,  will  soon  find  out  what  a  fair  price  is.  Almost  all  men 
use  too  many  words  in  buying  and  selling  ;  and  when  too  many 
words  are  used,  there  is  almost  always  a  lie  somewhere. 

231. 

CLOSELY  upon  the  heels  of  the  gambler  came  the  " fast"  man 
of  business — in  haste  to  be  rich,  impatient  of  labor,  and,  by 
his  expenses,  proving  that  if  he  did  not  make  his  own  fortune, 
tye  understood  as  well  how  to  spend  another  man's  fortune  as 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  397 


if  he  learned  the  art  in  our  Common  Council.  Life  to  such 
a  man  was  very  like  a  Mississippi  voyage  to  those  on  the 
lookout  for  a  race,  consoling  themselves  with  the  reflection 
that  the  chances  of  their  rival's  boiler  bursting  and  blowing 
them  to  atoms  would  be  as  great  as  their  own.  The  "fast 
man"  thought  the  locomotive  but  a  "slow  coach,"  and  that 
the  telegraph  "  did  very  well  for  a  beginning."  The  "  fast 
man"  of  business  also  looked  forward  with  confident  expecta- 
tion for  the  arrival  of  the  period  when  all  days  of  receipt 
would  be  brought  very  near,  and  all  days  of  payment  indefi- 
nitely postponed. 

232. 

COMPETITION  in  trade  is  considered  the  life  of  business.  We 
do  not  pretend  to  set  up  our  opinions  in  opposition  to  the  estab- 
lished and  acknowledged  proverbs  of  our  fathers,  but  we  do 
differ,  in  some  particulars,  with  the  spirit  of  the  adage  quoted 
above.  It  might  be  qualified  and  amended.  Honorable  com- 
petition is  a  means  of  creating  trade,  and  develops  the  capacity 
of  men.  But  that  competition  that  seeks  every  means  in  its 
power  to  monopolize  trade,  by  reducing  prices,  is  far  from  the 
life  of  business,  but  is,  in  fact,  its  very  death.  Fair,  upright, 
honorable  dealing,  will  always  be  sure  to  meet  its  reward — 
although  the  returns  may  not  be  immediate,  and  it  is  better  to 
compete  fairly  and  openly,  than  secretly  and  covertly.  We  live 
in  excitement,  and  life  is  a  constant  battle.  In  this  country, 
where  competition  does  not  exist  to  the  extent  that  it  prevails 
in  Europe,  we  have  but  a  faint  conception  of  its  injurious  ten- 
dency, when  carried  to  excess,  and  know  but  little  of  the 
schemes,  resorted  to  there,  to  secure  trade.  In  the  great  bat- 
tle of  existence,  as  seen  in  the  old  world,  men  resort  to  every 


398  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


species  of  trick  to  secure  success  in  business,  and  every  device 
is  used  to  obtain  custom.  This  spirit  is,  unfortunately,  on  the 
increase  in  this  country,  and  men  undersell  each  other  oftentimes, 
to  the  injury  of  themselves  as  well  as  those  whose  trade  they 
seek  to  destroy.  We  are  of  those  who  hold  to  the  sentiment, 
"  Live,  and  let  live  ;"  and  we  consider  it  a  golden  rule.  It  is 
at  variance  with  that  motive  which  prompts  a  man  to  undersell 
his  neighbor,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  his  customers,  and 
deserves  to  be  practiced  more  than  it  is.  There  is  no  selfishness 
in  it ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  a  spirit  of  liberality  and  Chris- 
tianity, worthy  of  our  attention  and  adoption.  If  business 
men  were  to  study  their  true  interest,  there  would  be  less  com- 
petition among  us  than  there  is  at  present,  and  there  would  be 
fewer  complaints  about  dull  times,  and  not  so  many  failures  as 
now.  The  spirit  of  competition,  when  carried  to  excess,  tends  to 
degrade  men,  and  make  tham  heartless,  selfish,  and  even  cruel ; 
and  if  not  checked,  leads  to  distrust,  enmity,  and  uncharitable- 
ness.  A  disposition  to  fair  dealing  does  much  to  destroy  it, 
and  makes  our  situation  less  irksome  than  if  we  engage  in  it 
with  full  determination  to  advance  our  own  interests,  to  the 
injury  of  others.  There  is  a  living,  and  more,  for  all  of  us, 
without  endeavoring  to  deprive  each  other  of  the  means  of  live- 
lihood, and  if  we  throw  aside  that  spirit  of  selfishness  that 
prompts  to  excessive  competition,  we  will  benefit  ourselves  as 
well  as  others,  and  "  do  unto  others  as  we  would  they  should 
do  unto  us." 

k' 

234. 

WE  are  often  entertained,  says  an  English  journalist,  by  the 
tone  of  sentiment  adopted  in  advertising  a  death.  There  is 
frequently  a  facetious  union  of  puff  and  despondency.  We 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  399 


will  give  a  specimen  of  a  "death:" — "Died  on  the  llth 
ultimo,  at  the  shop  in  Fleet-street,  Mr.  Edward  Jones,  much 
respected  by  all  who  knew  and  dealt  with  him.  As  a  man 
he  was  amiable,  as  a  hatter  upright  and  moderate.  His  vir- 
tues were  beyond  all  price,  and  his  beaver  hats  were  only 
one  pound  four  shillings  each.  He  has  left  a  widow  to 
deplore  his  loss,  and  a  large  stock  to  be  sold  cheap  for  the 
benefit  of  his  family.  He  was  snatched  to  the  other  world 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  just  as  he  had  concluded  an  exten- 
sive purchase  of  felt,  which  he  got  so  cheap  that  the  widow 
can  supply  hats  at  a  more  reasonable  charge  than  any  house 
in  London.  His  disconsolate  family  will  carry  on  the  business 
with  punctuality." 

235. 

A  FEW  years  since,  a  worthy  hardware  merchant,  who  had 
made  his  fortune  at  the  business  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
determined  to  sell  off  his  stock  and  retire.  His  goods  were 
soon  disposed  of,  and  the  shop  empty.  In  sweeping  out  the 
store  one  day,  he  found  in  the  crevices  and  corners  a  few  shot 
(about  twenty)  of  all  sizes  ;  he  gathered  them  up  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand,  and  stood  for  some  seconds  gazing  at  them ;  at 
length,  seizing  his  hat,  he  rushed  into  an  adjoining  liquor  store, 
where  they  also  sold  shot,  and  thus  addressed  the  proprietor  : — 
"  In  cleaning  my  store  I  found  a  few  shot ;  they  are  no  use  to 
me,  but  to  you  they  are  worth  something.  I  don't  value  them 
very  highly,  but  perhaps  (here  he  lowered  his  voice)  you  would 
give  me  half  a  glass  of  leer  for  them."  Reader,  do  you  sup- 
pose this  worthy,  we  should,  perhaps,  say  mean,  hardware 
merchant  was  either  a  patron  or  reader  of  the  "Merchants? 
Magazine  ?  " 


400  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


235. 

THE  Hon.  EDWARD  EVERETT,  in  one  of  his  speeches  at  the 
dinner  in  Boston,  given  to  BARING,  the  celebrated  London 
Banker,  argued  in  his  felicitous  style  that  there  could  be  no 
antagonism  between  CAPITAL  and  LABOR. 

The  owner  of  capital,  said  Mr.  Everett,  in  England  or 
America,  really  reaps  the  smallest  portion  of  the  advantages 
which  flow  from  its  possession — he  being  but  a  kind  of  head 
book-keeper,  or  chief  clerk  to  the  business  community.  He 
may  be  as  rich  as  Cnesus,  but  he  can  neither  eat,  drink,  nor 
wear  more  than  one  man's  portion.  Mr.  Everett  said  he 
remembered  hearing  a  jest  made  about  Mr.  ASTOR'S  property, 
which  contained,  he  thought,  a  great  deal  of  meaning — a 
latent,  practical  philosophy.  Some  one  was  asked  whether  he 
would  be  willing  to  take  care  of  ah"  Mr.  Astor's  property — 
eight  or  ten  millions  of  dollars — merely  for  his  board  and 
clothing. 

"  No,"  was  the  indignant  answer ;  "do  you  think  me  a 
fool?" 

"Well,"  rejoins  the  other,  "that  is  all  Mr.  Astor  himself 
gets  for  taking  care  of  it ;  he's  found,  and  that's  all.  The 
houses,  the  warehouses,  the  ships,  the  farms  which  he  counts 
by  the  hundred,  and  is  obliged  to  take  care  of,  are  for  the 
accommodation  of  others." 

"  But  then  he  has  the  income,  the  rents  of  all  this  mighty 
property,  five  or  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum." 

"  Yes,  but  he  can  do  nothing  with  his  income  but  build  more 
houses,  and  warehouses,  and  ships,  or  loan  more  money  on  mort- 
gages for  the  convenience  of  others.  He's  found,  and  you  can 
make  nothing  else  out  of  it." 


TOR  MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  401 


236. 

How  pleasant  'tis  when  I  can  say, 
My  work  is  done,  'tis  Saturday, 
My  cash  is  settled,  letters  done, 
My  duties  finished,  every  one. 
"Tis  passing  sweet  to  us  cashiers, 
Whose  labor  circles  with  the  years, 
To  close  the  Bank  and  turn  the  keys, 
Then  close  the  week  with  books  and  ease. 
We  read  of  one,  and  him  we  thank, 
Who  years  ago  first  closed  a  Bank ; 
Rebuked  cashiers,  their  desks  o'erthrew, 
And  drove  them  out  with  whip-cord  too. 
I  often  think  of  this  in  church, 
When  for  my  wandering  thoughts  I  search  ; 
I  find  them  deep  in  moneyed  schemes, 
In  dividends,  or  golden  dreams. 
I  start !  my  sin  is  just  the  same 
As  that  of  old,  though  not  in  name  ; 
I  sin  as  much  with  moneyed  thought, 
As  did  the  Jews  of  old,  who  brought 
Their  desks  within  the  temple's  range, 
And  shaved  the  green  ones  making  change ; 
And  should  I  suffer  whips  «f  cord, 
I  should  but  suffer  just  reward. 
Yes,  turn  all  thoughts  of  loss  and  gain 
From  out  the  place  where  God  should  reign ; 
Nor  let  such  thoughts  with  footsteps  rude 
Upon  your  Sabbath  hours  intrude. 

237. 

CREDIT  should  be  sparingly  given,  and  integrity  be  the 
basis  of  it. 

Prudence  in  promises  is  a  fair  guarantee  in  the  redemp- 
tion of  them. 


402  MAXIMS,    MORALS  AND   MISCELLANIES 


238. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  of  the  London  Youth's  Instructor  relates  an 
anecdote,  which  we  transfer  to  this  book  for  the  especial  benefit 
of  young  men  entering  mercantile  life  : — 

"  I  once  new  a  young  man,"  said  an  eminent  preacher  the 
other  day,  in  a  sermon  to  young  men,  "  that  was  commencing 
life  as  a  clerk.  One  day  his  employer  said  to  him,  '  Now,  to- 
morrow, that  cargo  of  cotton  must  be  got  out  and  weighed,  and 
we  must  have  a  regular  account  of  it.' 

"  He  was  a  young  man  of  energy.  This  was  the  first  time  he 
had  been  intrusted  to  superintend  the  execution  of  this  work. 
He  made  his  arrangements  over  night,  spoke  to  the  men  about 
their  carts  and  horses,  and,  resolved  to  begin  very  early  in  the 
morning,  he  instructed  the  laborers  to  be  there  at  half-past  four 
o'clock.  His  master  comes  in,  and,  seeing  him  sitting  in  the 
counting-house,  looks  very  black,  supposes  that  his  commands 
had  not  been  executed. 

"  '  I  thought,'  said  the  master,  'you  were  requested  to  get 
out  that  cargo  this  morning.' 

"  '  It  is  all  done/  said  the  young  man,  '  and  here  is  the  ac- 
count of  it.' 

"  He  never  looked  behind  him  from  that  moment — never  ! 
His  character  was  fixed,  confidence  was  established.  He  was 
found  to  be  the  man  to  do  the  thing  with  promptness.  He  very 
soon  came  to  be  one  that  could  not  be  spared  ;  he  was  as  neces- 
sary to  the  firm  as  any  of  the  partners.  He  was  a  religious 
man,  and  went  through  a  life  of  great  benevolence,  and  at  his 
death  was  able  to  leave  his  children  an  ample  fortune.  He  was 
not  smoke  to  the  eye  nor  vinegar  to  the  teeth,  but  just  the  con- 
trary." 


FOB  MERCHANTS  AND  MEN   OF   BUSINESS  403 


239. 

MONEY — to  get  money — let  us  frankly  admit  at  the  outset,  is 
the  aim,  the  paramount  end  of  business,  of  retail  and  wholesale, 
of  business  on  a  large  scale,  of  busjness  on  a  small  scale,  of  the 
peddler,  of  the  merchant-prince,  of  him  who  trades  under  the 
open  sky,  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  of  him  who  sends  ships  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  whose  calculations  take  in  the  fortunes  of 
nations,  and  whose  operations  may  determine  peace  and  war,  the 
happiness  or  misery  of  millions.  MONEY  !  with  what  an  in- 
tonation of  contempt  the  word  is  sometimes  uttered.  The  "  ac- 
cursed hunger  for  gold "  is  the  standard  subject  of  classical  and 
philosophical  anathema.  Yet  with  what  a  secret  charm  the 
word  falls  on  the  mental  ear  !  The  theory  of  getting  money  is 
the  theory  of  business,  and  is  the  topic  of  the  interesting  book 
whose  title  we  give  below. 

Mr.  Freedley's  book  is  written  with  much  liveliness  of  style,  is 
full  of  anecdotes  and  illustrations,  and  abounds  in  practical  sug- 
gestions, based  upon  the  present  business  prospects  and  relations 
of  the  country.  It  may  be  read  with  profit  not  only  by  those 
who  are  entering  upon  business  life,  but  by  those  also  who  would 
compare  their  own  experience  with  that  of  others,  and  whose 
minds  are  open  to  new  suggestions.  We  must  needs  like  the 
book,  yet  find  it  difficult  to  quote  from  it — and  for  one  and  the 
same  reason.  Not  only  have  the  ideas  been  again  and  again  in- 
culcated in  our  pages,  but  Mr.  Freedley  has  had  the  good  taste 
to  avail  himself  of  our  labors  by  liberal  extracts.  The  merit  of 
the  work  is,  that  it  presents,  in  a  compendious  and  convenient 
shape,  the  opinions  of  many  experienced  business  men,  and  many 
hints  and  suggestions,  either  original  or  derived  from  reliable 
sources,  relative  to  business  management,  the  choice  of  business, 


404  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


habits  of  business,  "getting  money  by  farming,"  "getting  money 
by  merchandising,"  "how  to  get  customers,"  "the  true  man  of 
business,"  "  how  to  get  rich  by  speculation,  banking,  patent  in- 
ventions," "how  to  become  millionaires,"  and  "the  chances  of 
success."  So  much  has  been  said  in  our  pages  on  all  these  topics, 
that  by  quoting  we  run  the  risk  of  repetition. 

Getting  money  (we  repeat  the  confession)  is  the  chief  end  of 
business.  But  what  is  money  ?  Money  is  bread.  Money  is 
raiment.  Money  is  shelter.  Money  is  education,  refinement, 
books,  pictures,  music.  Money  is  the  society  of  the  learned  and 
accomplished.  Is  it  less  true  than  •  in  Solomon's  time,  that 
"  wealth  maketh  many  friends  ;  but  the  poor  is  separated  from 
his  neighbor?"  Money  is  science,  invention,  discovery,  enter- 
prise. Money  is  the  canal,  the  railroad,  the  telegraph,  the 
steamship.  In  short,  in  modern  society,  under  modern  govern- 
ments of  law,  the  essence  of  which  seems  to  consist  in  rigidly 
maintaining  the  distinction  of  meum  and  tuum,  money  takes  the 
place  of  that  arbitrary  rule  of  the  king,  the  baron,  the  aristocrat, 
which  in  old  times  commanded  by  power,  what  is  now  only  to  be 
obtained  by  wealth.  "  Commerce  is  king,"  it  is  said  ;  say  rather 
money,  which  is  the  end  of  Commerce.  And  here  lies  the  danger. 
The  danger  is  that  a  new  power,  more  cruel,  more  heartless, 
than  kingly  or  feudal  power,  shall,  in  the  form  of  capital  and 
monopoly,  rise  to  crush  the  mass  of  men.  For  money  is  harden- 
ing to  the  heart.  Money  is  selfish.  Money  is  rivalry,  com- 
petition, deceit.  Money  sends  "  the  weak  to  the  wall,"  and  says, 
"  Every  man  for  himself."  That  mixture  of  good  and  evil, 
which  we  find  everywhere  in  the  world,  has  its  acme  and  highest 
point  in  that  greatest  of  merely  earthly  good,  that  "  root  of  all 
earthly  evil" — money.  Not  to  be  "taken  from  the  world,  but 
to  be  delivered  from  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world,"  must  be  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  405 


motto  and  the  prayer  of  every  true  merchant.  Let  him  feel  that 
while  he  is  laboring  for  the  increase  and  distribution  of  wealth, 
he  is  working  for  the  elevation  and  civilization  of  the  masses. 
Let  him  feel  that  in  pursuing  trade  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring 
wealth,  the  first  object,  the  main  object,  he  is  never  "  delivered 
from  temptation." 

Franklin  was  the  first,  we  think,  to  bring  together  in  a  some- 
what formal  way  the  maxims  of  business,  and  thus  to  do  something 
to  establish  a  theory  of  business  life.  By  his  essays,  his  biog- 
raphy, and  the  collection  of  sayings  in  "  Poor  Richard,"  he  did 
more  than  any  man  before  him,  more  than  any  man  since,  per- 
haps, to  shape  the  business  mind  of  America,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  influence  of  his  works  in  Europe.  Some  carp  at  the  mer- 
cenary spirit,  the  low  aims,  which  they  are  pleased  to  discover  hi 
Franklin's  economical  teachings.  But  to  require  of  a  writer,  who 
is  to  teach  us  how-to  better  our  material  condition,  exalted  views 
of  our  moral  or  intellectual  nature  or  aims  in  life,  is  simply  to 
wander  from  the  question.  There  are,  doubtless,  things  infinitely 
higher  in  life  than  money  or  physical  well-being,  but  bread  is 
prior,  if  other  things  are  higher.  To  live,  is  the  previous  question, 
which  has  to  be  settled  before  men  can  determine  how  they  shall 
live,  morally  or  sensually,  wisely  or  foolishly. 

The  idea  of  Mr.  Freedley's  book  appears  to  be  to  exhibit,  in  a 
formal  treatise,  the  theory  of  business,  developing  thus  Franklin's 
idea,  and  adapting  it  to  the  present  state  of  business,  and  present 
physical,  commercial,  and  industrial  development  of  the  country. 
We  are  not  aware  that  this  has  ever  been  attempted  before. 
And  his  execution  of  the  plan  is,  in  many  respects,  highly  satis- 
factory. We  say,  theory  of  business.  Why  should  it  not  have 
its  theory  as  well  as  law  or  medicine  ?  Every  practice  has  its 
theory.  There  is  a  good  way,  there  is  a  bad  way  of  doing  every- 


406  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


thing.  The  good  way  is  the  true,  the  bad  way  is  the  false 
theory  of  that  thing,  whatever  it  is,  whether  "  playing  on  the 
stops"  of  a  pipe  or  of  the  world,  practicing  a  profession  or 
"  doing  business."*  There  are  rules  and  maxims  of  mercantile 
life,  the  observance  of  which  is,  as  a  general  thing,  as  necessary 
to  success  as  that  of  the  rules  of  geometry  to  the  engineer,  or  of 
the  rules  of  war  to  the  soldier.  It  is  true  some  business  men  are 
less  systematically  and  consciously  governed  by  formal  rules  than 
others,  but,  we  repeat,  no  man  can  act,  without  acting  upon 
some  rule,  good  or  bad,  the  suggestion  of  the  moment,  or  the 
result  of  previous  thought. 

This  practical  treatise  contains  a  chapter  of  opinions  of  rich 
men  as  to  the  how,  the  mode  of  getting  rich.  "  John  Jacob 
Astor,"  says  the  author,  ".I  am  informed  by  his  son,  W.  B. 
Astor,  is  not  known  to  have  had  any  fundamental  rule  or  fa- 
vorite maxim"  of  business  life.  Yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
in  this  instance  of  colossal  fortune,  Mr.  Astor's  positive  genius 
for  money-making  was  aided  by  a  sort  of  instinctive  observance 
of  the  rules  and  habits  suggested  by  the  best  mercantile  expe- 
rience. 

The  readers  of  the  Merchants'  Magazine  will  bear  us  witness 
that  we  have  at  all  times  endeavored  to  inculcate  sound  rules,  a 
true  theory  of  business.  It  has  been  a  standing  topic  hi  these 
pages,  which  would  but  poorly  exhibit  the  literature  of  Com- 
merce if  it  neglected  the  theory  of  business.  Our  mercantile 
biography  has  furnished  excellent  illustrations  of  the  best  rules 
for  the  conduct  of  business  life.  Many  of  the  maxims  of  most 
direct  and  practical  bearing,  are  stated  with  much  force,  and 

*  The  idea,  in  short,  is  that  of  Bacon,  respecting  the  true  mode  of  philosophical  in- 
quiry, enlarged  and  applied  to  all  the  pursuits  of  life—"  Nihil  venial  in  practicam 
cujus  non  fit  ttiam  dvdrina  aliyua  ei.  iheoria." 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  407 


illustrated  by  example  in  the  biography  of  John  Grigg,  the 
eminent  bookseller  of  Philadelphia,  which  we  gave  in  the  number 
for  July,  1851.  That  sketch  has  been  so  widely  copied,  and  so 
often  quoted,  that  we  are  encouraged  to  hope  that  the  rules  and 
maxims  it  contains,  drawn  from  and  illustrated  by  the  rich  and 
varied  experience  of  that  excellent  man,  will  be  of  use  to  the 
young  merchants  of  America.  All  men  may  not  possess  his 
business  genius,  but  the  business  virtues  of  industry,  punctuality, 
and  honor,  are  within  the  reach  of  all.  If  the  man  of  highest 
business  capacity  cannot  dispense  with  these,  how  can  others  do 
without  them  ? 

The  chapter  of  opinions,  to  which  we  have  referred,  contains 
rules  for  acquiring  wealth,  or,  as  Mr.  Freedley  expresses  it, 
"  how  to  become  millionaires,"  attributed  to  Rothschild,  David 
Ricardo,  Girard,  and  others  : — 

Many  of  those  who  have  risen  to  elevated  positions  by  un- 
locking the  golden  gates  of  wealth,  have  favored  the  world  with 
very  valuable  opinions  which  they  regarded  as  the  key  to  their 
success,  and  a  recapitulation  of  them  in  a  connected  form,  which 
was  never  done  before,  will  afford  us  entertainment,  and  perhaps 
instruction. 

ROTHSCHILD'S  OPINION.  The  founder  of  this  world-renowned 
house,  whose  immense  transactions  we  may  subsequently  notice, 
is  said  to  have  ascribed  his  early  success  to  the  following  rules: — 

1.  "I  combined  three  profits  ;  I  made  the  manufacturer  my 
customer,  and  the  one  I  bought  of  my  customer  ;  that  is,  I  sup- 
plied the  manufacturer  with  raw  materials  and  dyes,  on  each  of 
which  I  made  a  profit,  and  took  his  manufactured  goods,  which 
I  sold  at  a  profit ;  and  thus  combined  three  profits. 

2.  "  Make  a  bargain  at  once.    Be  an  off-hand  man. 

3.  "  Never  have  anything  to  do  with  an  unlucky  man  or  place. 


408  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


I  have  seen,"  said  he,  "  many  clever  men  who  had  not  shoes  to 
their  feet.  I  never  act  with  them ;  their  advice  sounds  very 
well,  but  fate  is  against  them  ;  they  cannot  get  on  themselves ; 
how  can  they  do  good  to  me  ? 

4.  "Be  cautious  and  bold.  It  requires  a  great  deal  of  bold- 
ness and  a  great  deal  of  caution  to  make  a  great  fortune  ;  and 
when  you  have  got  it,  it  requires  ten  tunes  as  much  wit  to 
keep  it." 

The  continued  prosperity  of  the  eminent  banking-house  of  the 
Rothschilds  is  ascribed,  in  the  following  biographical  extract,  to 
two  principles  : — "  He  who  does  not  delay  for  casualties,  and 
has  knowledge  enough  to  perceive  that  in  all  great  affairs  the 
success  not  only  depends  on  the  choice  and  use  of  the  favorable 
moment,  but  especially  on  the  pursuit  of  an  acknowledged  funda- 
mental maxim,  will  soon  perceive  that  particularly  two  principles 
were  never  neglected  by  this  banking-house ;  to  which,  besides 
to  a  prudent  performance  of  its  business  and  to  advantageous 
conjunctures,  it  owes  the  greatest  part  of  its  present  wealth  and 
respectability. 

"  The  first  of  these  principles  was  that  which  caused  the  five 
brothers  to  carry  on  their  business  in  a  perpetual  and  uninter- 
rupted communion.  This  was  the  golden  rule  bequeathed  to 
them  by  their  dying  father.  Since  his  death,  every  proposition, 
let  it  come  from  whom  it  may,  is  the  object  of  their  common  de- 
liberations. Every  important  undertaking  was  carried  on  by  a 
combined  effort,  after  a  plan  agreed  upon,  and  all  had  an  equal 
share  in  the  result.  Though  for  several  years  their  customary 
residences  were  very  remote,  this  circumstance  could  never  inter- 
rupt their  harmony  ;  it  rather  gave  them  this  advantage,  that 
they  were  always  perfectly  weh1  instructed  of  the  condition  of 
things  in  the  different  capitals — that  each  of  them,  on  his  part, 


FOB   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  409 


could  the  better  prepare  and  initiate  the  affairs  to  be  undertaken 
by  the  firm.  The  second  principle  in  perpetual  view  of  this  house 
is,  not  to  seek  an  excessive  profit  in  any  undertaking  ;  to  assign 
certain  limits  to  every  enterprise  ;  and,  as  much  as  human  cau- 
tion and  prudence  can  do,  to  make  themselves  independent  of  the 
play  of  accidents." 

DAVID  RICARDO,  the  celebrated  political  economist,  was  born 
in  London,  of  a  Jewish  family,  in  1772.  His  character  for 
probity,  industry,  and  talent,  early  procured  for  him  the  means 
of  support ;  and  becoming  a  member  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  he 
accumulated  an  immense  property.  He  is  author  of  many  works 
on  finance ;  and  in  1819  was  elected  to  Parliament.  Died,  1823. 
He  had  what  he  called  his  own  three  golden  rules  ;  the  observ- 
ance of  which  he  used  to  press  on  his  private  friends.  These 
were : — 

"  Never  to  refuse  an  option  when  you  can  get  it. 

"  Cut  short  your  losses. 

"  Let  your  profits  run  on." 

By  cutting  short  one's  losses,  Mr.  Ricardo  meant  that,  when  a 
member  had  made  a  purchase  of  stock,  and  prices  were  falling, 
he  ought  to  resell  immediately.  And  by  letting  one's  profits  run 
on,  he  meant  that,  when  a  member  possessed  stock,  and  the 
prices  were  rising,  he  ought  not  to  sell  until  prices  had  reached 
their  highest,  and  were  beginning  again  to  fall.  These  are  in- 
deed golden  rules,  and  may  be  applied  with  advantage  to  in- 
numerable transactions  other  than  those  connected  with  the 
Stock  Exchange. 

JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR,  I  am  informed  by  his  son,  W.  B.  Astor, 
is  not  known  to  have  had  any  fundamental  rule  or  favorite 
maxim,  and  the  general  outline  of  his  career  is  too  well  known 
to  need  rehearsal. 

18 


410  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


NICHOLAS  LONGWORTH,  the  millionaire  of  Cincinnati,  was  born 
in  Newark,  N.  J.,  January  16th,  1783.  Formerly  a  cobbler,  as 
I  have  been  informed,  he  removed  to  Cincinnati  in  1804,  studied 
law,  and  practiced  for  some  fifteen  years.  His  earnings  and  sav- 
ings he  invested  in  lots  around  Cincinnati,  the  rise  of  which  was 
the  foundation  of  his  fortune.  He  then  turned  his  attention 
entirely  to  land  and  lot  speculations,  which,  in  a  rising  market, 
as  that  has  always  been,  is  a  business  in  which  all  is  gain,  and 
nothing  loss.  As  an  example  of  the  facility  with  which  small 
amounts,  comparatively,  secured  what  has  since  become  of  im- 
mense value,  Mr.  Cist,  in  his  memoir  of  him,  states  that  Mr. 
Longworth  once  received  as  a  legal  fee  from  a  fellow  who  was 
accused  of  horse-stealing,  and  who  had  nothing  else  to  give,  two 
second-hand  copper  stills.  The  gentleman  who  had  them  in  pos- 
session refused  to  give  them  up,  but  proposed  to  Mr.  Longworth 
to  give  him  a  lot  of  thirty-three  acres  on  Western  Row,  in  lieu 
of  them — a  proposal  which  the  latter,  whose  opinions  of  the 
value  of  such  property  were  ahead  of  his  time,  gladly  accepted. 
This  transaction  alone,  taking  into  view  the  prodigious  increase 
of  real  estate  in  that  city,  would  have  formed  the  basis  for  an 
immense  fortune,  the  naked  ground  being  now  worth  two  millions 
of  dollars. 

What  Mr.  Longworth  is  worth  is  not  known.  The  estimates 
vary  greatly,  and  it  is  probable  that  after  his  death  there  will  be 
considerable  litigation.  A  gentleman  recently  has  recovered 
land  from  him  to  the  value  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In 
1850,  his  taxes  amounted  to  upwards  of  seventeen  thousand 
dollars,  which  is  the  largest  sum  paid  by  any  individual  in  the 
United  States,  William  B.  Astor  excepted,  whose  taxes  for  the 
same  year  were  twenty-three  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixteen 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  411 


dollars.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  taxes  in 
Cincinnati  are  no  trifle  on  any  amount  of  property. 

Mr.  Lougworth's  opinion  probably  is,  that  speculating  in  real 
estate,  in  a  constantly  rising  market,  is  a  very  good  business.  I 
am  informed,  by  a  friend  in  that  city,  that  he  holds  it  to  be  an 
indispensable  requisite,  that  a  man  who  desires  to  get  rich  should 
be  from  Jersey,  where  he  himself  hails  from.  I  regard  this  as 
metaphorical  language,  meaning,  probably,  that  he  must  have  a 
sandy  head  and  a  stony  heart. 

JOHN  FREEDLEY'S  never-varying  motto  was — self-dependence, 
self-reliance. 

"It  is  a  mistaken  notion,"  he  writes,  "that  capital  alone  is 
necessary  to  success  in  business.  If  a  man  has  head  and  hands 
suited  to  his  business,  it  will  soon  procure  him  capital.  My  ob- 
servations through  life  satisfy  me  that  at  least  nine-tenths  of 
those  most  successful  in  business  start  in  life  without  any  reli- 
ance except  upon  their  own  head  and  hands — hoe  their  own  row 
from  the  jump.  All  professions  and  occupations  alike  give  the 
field  for  talent,  perseverance,  and  industry ;  and  these  qualities, 
whether  in  the  East,  West,  or  South,  sooner  or  later,  will  crown 
the  aspirant  with  success.  But  to  enable  any  new  beginner  to 
succeed,  he  must  not  be  allured  from  his  course  by  attractive 
appearances,  nor  be  driven  from  it  by  trifling  adverse  gales.  He 
must  fit  himself  for  the  calling  he  adopts,  and  then  pursue  his 
course  with  a  steady  eye.  The  first  and  great  object  in  business 
is  to  make  yourself  independent — to  have  the  means  of  liveli- 
hood without  being  under  obligations  to  any  person  ;  whatever 
more  is  acquired  increases  the  power  of  doing  good  and  extends 
influence." 

Mr.  Freedley's  opinion  of  the  value  of  our  own  labors  is  almost 
too  flattering  to  quote,  but  his  business  reasons  for  subscribing 


412  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


for  the  Merchants'  Magazine,  are  so  ingenious  and  excellent  that 
we  cannot  resist  giving  ourselves  the  benefit  of  his  commen- 
dation : — 

"  I  cannot  omit  this  opportunity,  as  an  act  of  justice  to  Mr. 
Hunt,  who  has  done  as  much  as  any  man  in  America  to  raise  the 
reputation  of  American  books  in  England,  and  in  justice  to  all 
who  may  favor  this  book  with  a  persual,  to  commend  Mr.  Hunt's 
Magazine  to  their  especial  attention  and  patronage,  as  one  of 
the  most  certainly  profitable  investments  they  can  make.  Every 
business  man  should  as  certainly  subscribe  for  it  as  he  should 
insure  his  property.  In  the  case  of  insurance,  if  his  property 
does  not  burn  down,  he  loses  his  money,  but  in  the  case  of  sub- 
scription to  that  Magazine  he  will  not  lose  his  money  in  any 
event,  and  may  reap  an  advantage  as  great  as  the  restoration  of 
property  destroyed.  In  the  first  place,  he  will  increase  his  stock 
of  useful  and  practical  ideas,  which  in  itself  is  worth  more  than 
the  cost ;  secondly,  he  will  possess  the  most  comprehensive  work 
of  the  age  for  present  and  future  reference  ;  and  thirdly,  he  will 
take  the  best  possible  means  to  put  himself  in  the  way  of  meet- 
ing with  suggestions  and  ideas  that  may  happen  to  just  suit  his 
circumstances,  and  which  he  may  turn  to  his  advantage  to  the 
tune  of  hundreds  or  thousands  of  dollars.  Let  every  one  be 
watchful,  for  he  knows  not  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  the  good 
idea  may  come." 

By  way  of  pendant  to  Mr.  Freedley's  flattering  opinion  of  the 
Merchants'  Magazine,  we  feel  bound  to  give  the  opinion,  freely 
and  warmly  expressed  by  an  old  and  eminent  merchant,  whose 
experience  is  the  best  of  commentaries  on  the  practical  rules  of 
business  given  in  this  work,  and  whose  well-known  name,  were 
.we  allowed  to  publish  it,  would  add  weight  with  every  reader  to 
the  recommendation  that  "  every  father  of  a  family  should  read 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  413 


it  carefully,  and  then  each  of  his  §ons.  The  book  is  calculated 
to  do  much  good  in  this  country,  and  should  be  widely  circu- 
lated." 

240. 

FROM  tlje  able  and  eloquent  speech  of  the  Hon.  DAVID  SEY- 
MOUR, of  New  York,  on  the  River  and  Harbor  Bill,  delivered  in 
the  House  of  Representatives,  July  21,  1852,  we  extract  the 
following  brief  but  comprehensive  picture  of  our  commercial 
progress : — 

"  Let  us  briefly  snrvey  the  present  position  of  our  Republic, 
and  see  what  it  demands  of  us  as  wise  and  patriotic  legislators. 
Our  country  is  rapidly  advancing  in  her  career  of  greatness. 
Compare  its  situation  in  1838,  when  the  last  general  appro- 
priations for  the  rivers  and  harbors  were  made,  with  its  present 
condition,  and  we  are  astonished  at  the  progress  we  have  made. 
No  other  nation  has  achieved  so  much  in  the  same  period.  We 
have  peaceably  annexed  one  empire,  settled  the  boundaries  of 
another,  and  conquered  a  third.  Our  Commerce,  which,  four- 
teen years  ago,  was  found  in  three  grand  divisions — that  of  the 
western  rivers,  the  northwestern  lakes,  and  the  Atlantic  coast — 
has  crossed  the  isthmus,  and  now  covers  the  shores  of  the 
western  ocean.  To  our  two  maritime  fronts,  the  Atlantic  and 
the  Gulf,  we  have  added  the  Pacific.  And  there,  from  a  coast 
of  sixteen  hundred  miles  in  extent,  we  look  out  upon  the  primeval 
habitations  of  our  race — the  seats  of  ancient  empire — and  the 
most  inviting  field  ever  opened  to  the  moral  or  physical  energies 
of  man.  Nor  is  the  dominion  thus  gained  a  barren  scepter.  On 
the  contrary,  the  precious  metals  found  in  abundance  in  Califor- 
nia have  placed  in  the  hands  of  this  Republic  a  monetary  power 
which,  ere  long,  will  transfer  commercial  ascendency  from  Europe 


414  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


to  America,  and  will  adjust  in  our  great  commercial  emporium 
the  balance-sheet  of  the  world.  And  can  such  a  nation  be 
longer  held  in  the  swaddling  bands  of  its  infancy  or  the  leading- 
strings  of  its  childhood  ?  The  enterprise  of  our  country,  always 
bold  and  restless,  is  already,  by  the  liberal  aids  of  an  improved 
science  and  the  vast  accessions  of  capital,  driven  onward  almost 
with  maddening  speed.  Nothing  can  arrest  the  progress  of  in- 
dividual effort  in  all  the  avenues  of  Commerce.  You  may  excite 
the  apprehensions  of  the  timid,  the  doubts  of  the  wavering,  or 
the  opposition  of  the  enemies  of  progress,  but  all  will  be  in  vain. 
The  mighty  current  of  events,  as  they  are  ordained,  will,  in  spite 
of  our  resistance,  bear  us  onward  and  still  onward  to  our  destiny. 
It  is,  then,  the  part  of  wisdom,  of  exalted  patriotism,  to  grasp 
the  helm  of  the  ship  of  State,  and,  with  a  strong  and  bold  hand, 
guide  it  on  its  course  by  the  chart  of  the  Constitution." 

241. 

WE  occasionally  see  the  announcement  in  the  public  prints, 
says  the  Sachem,  that  some  individual,  who  had  been  unfortu- 
nate in  business  and  compelled  to  avail  himself  of  the  lenity 
of  his  creditors,  or  the  forms  of  law,  to  obtain  a  legal  dis- 
charge from  the  payment  of  his  debts,  had  again  embarked  on 
the  dangerous  sea  of  trade,  been  favored  with  prosperous  gales, 
and  had  liquidated  the  old  indebtedness,  principal  and  interest. 
Such  conduct  is  frequently  lauded  in  most  extravagant  terms, 
as  though  the  morality  which  impelled  the  act  were  of  a  higher 
order  than  could  reasonably  be  expected  from  frail  humanity. 
We  see  nothing  in  such  an  act  beyond  the  performance  of  a 
duty  which  is  demanded  by  the  plain  precepts  of  pure  morality. 
We  are  not  of  the  number  who  measure  their  duty  to  others 
by  what  the  law  prohibits  and  enforces.  We  acknowledge  in 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  415 


the  matter  of  paying  debts,  the  higher  law  of  conscience  and 
fair  dealing  between  man  a*nd  man.  We  do  not  find  fault  with 
the  statute  which  enables  the  honest  debtor,  upon  a  surrender 
of  his  property  to  his  creditors,  to  obtain  his  discharge  from 
his  liabilities.  Were  there  no  such  provision,  a  single  unfeel- 
ing creditor  might  doom  to  helpless  poverty  and  misery  his 
unfortunate  debtor,  and  those  dependent  on  him  for  support. 
But  we  do  find  fault  with,  and  most  conscientiously  condemn 
that  lax  morality  which  considers  a  debt  paid  by  a  release, 
voluntarily  given,  or  a  discharge  obtained  by  operation  of  law. 
It  is  true  that  in  such  a  case  the  law  will  not  enforce  payment, 
notwithstanding  the  individual  thus  discharged  may  afterwards 
have  abundance  and  to  spare,  wherewith  to  cancel  his  debts. 
Bat  the  moral  duty  still  remains,  and,  in  our  opinion,  no  one 
who  has  it  in  his  power  to  pay  his  debts,  and  refuses  to  do  so 
on  the  plea  that  the  law  will  not  compel  him,  is  entitled  to 
be  considered  an  honest  man. 

242. 

A  BANKER,  anxious  about  the  rise  and  fall  of  stocks,  came 
once  to  Talleyrand  for  information  respecting  the  truth  of  a 
rumor  that  George  IJJ.  had  suddenly  died,  when  the  states- 
man replied  in  a  confidential  tone,  "  I  shall  be  delighted  if 
the  information  I  have  to  give,  be  of  any  use  to  you."  The 
banker  was  enchanted  with  the  prospect  of  obtaining  authen 
tic  intelligence  from  so  high  a  source  ;  and  Talleyrand,  with  a 
mysterious  air,  continued,  "  Some  say  that  the  King  of  Eng- 
land is  dead,  others,  that  he  is  not  dead  ;  for  my  own  part  I 
believe  neither  the  one  nor  the  other.  I  tell  you  this  in  confi- 
dence, but  do  not  commit  me."  No  better  parody  on  modem 
diplomacy  could  easily  be  written. 


416  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


243. 

The  Dutchman  very  justly  observes  that  the  moment  money 
becomes  cheap,  up  goes  the  price  of  beef  and  potatoes,  so  that 
it  makes  but  very  little  difference  to  anybody  save  gold  diggers 
and  borrowers,  whether  the  yield  of  gold  mines  be  one  ton  a 
year  or  one  thousand  tons.  Since  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, interest  has  fallen  some  forty  per  cent,  while  rents  have 
gone  up  seventy-five.  The  idea  that  the  quantity  of  comfort  in 
the  world  depends  on  the  quantity  of  money  in  it,  is,  therefore, 
all  moonshine.  Double  the  present  supply  of  gold,  and  we 
would  double  the  price  of  every  article  for  which  gold  is  given 
in  exchange — so  that  it  makes  "no  difference  to  nobody" 
whether  half  the  mountains  in  California  are  composed  of  pre- 
cious metals  or  not.  Things  will  find  their  level,  and  if  an 
hour's  labor  in  California  will  produce  an  ounce  of  gold,  the 
time  will  soon  come  when  an  ounce  of  gold  will  be  -given  for  an 
ho.ur's  cobbling.  The  quantity  of  labor  necessary  to  produce  an 
article  determines  its  value.  Make  gold  dust  as  common  as 
gravel,  and  it  would  bring  the  same  price  per  peck. 

244. 

THE  Pittsburgh  Daily  Dispatch  puts  a  question,  and  makes  a 
statement  in  the  following  paragraph,  which  we  are  assured  >s 
supported  by  the  most  incontestable  evidence. 

"  How  is  THIS? — Can  a  Commission  Merchant,  in  ' good  and 
regular  standing '  in  a  Christian  Church,  go  to  a  steamboat  officer 
and  bargain  for  the  shipment  of  say  four  hundred  bbls.  of  flour 
at  forty  cents  per  barrel,  provided  the  steamboat  officer  will  agree 
to  fill  up  the  bill  at  fifty  cents  per  barrel, — so  as  to  enable  the 
merchant  to  make  forty  dollars  over  his  legitimate  commission,  &c., 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  417 


off  the  confiding  consignor  or  owner,  who  pays  this  forty  dollars 
more  than  he  need  pay,  if  the  whole  transaction  were  straight 
forward  and  bona  fide.  1  Is  this  a  '  fair  business  transaction  ? ' 
Is  it  honorable  or  even  honest  ?  Is  it  not  a  mean  fraud  ?  We 
think  so — yet  it  is  done  here,  not  occasionally,  but  constantly — 
by  people  affecting  honor  and  even  piety.  A  man  who  confides 
in  them  is  made  to  suffer  to  the  tune  of  five  or  ten  cents  per 
hundred  on  the  freight  which  he  intrusts  to  them  for  shipment, 
and  steamboatmen  must  become  parties  to  the  fraud,  or  in  case 
of  refusal,  give  place  to  those  who  will.  We  may  be  told  this  is 
none  of  our  business,  but  it  is  :  all  that  demoralizes  or  depraves 
public  sentiment,  concerns  every  wise  citizen  ;  and  it  is  our  duty 
to  see  that  neither  steamboatmen  nor  other  men  are  tempted  or 
compelled  to  do  what  they  feel  and  acknowledge  to  be  wrong,  by 
those  who  profess  to  be  moral  Christian  men.  We  have  a  host 
of  witnesses  to  support  our  statements,  if  anybody  doubts." 

245. 

LUNDY  FOOT,  the  celebrated  snuff  manufacturer  of  Dublin, 
originally  kept  a  small  tobacconist's  shop  at  Limerick,  Ireland. 
One  night  his  house,  which  was  uninsured,  was  burnt  to  the 
ground.  As  he  contemplated  the  smoking  ruins  on  the  following 
morning,  in  a  state  bordering  on  despair,  some  of  the  poor  neigh- 
bors, groping  among  the  embers  for  what  they  could  find, 
stumbled  upon  several  canisters  of  unconsumed  but  half-baked 
snuff,  which  they  tried,  and  found  so  grateful  to  their  noses,  that 
they  loaded  their  waistcoat  pockets  with  the  spoil. 

Lundy  Foot,  roused  from  his  stupor,  at  length  imitated  their 
example,  and  took  a  pinch  of  his  own  property,  when  he  was 
instantly  struck  by  the  superior  pungency  and  flavor  it  had  ac- 
quired from  the  great  heat  to  which  it  had  been  exposed.  Treas- 

18* 


418  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


uring  up  this  valuable  hint,  he  took  another  house,  in  a  place 
called  "  Black  Yard,"  and  preparing  a  large  oven  for  the  pur- 
pose, set  diligently  about  the  manufacture  of  that  high-dried 
commodity,  which  soon  became  known  as  "  Black  Yard  Snuff" 
— a  term  subsequently  corrupted  into  the  more  familiar  word 
"  Blackguard." 

Lundy  Foot,  making  his  customers  pay  liberally  through  the 
nose  for  one  of  the  most  "  distinguished"  kinds  of  snuff  in  the 
world,  soon  raised  the  price  of  his  production,  took  a  larger 
house  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  and  was  often  heard  to  say — "  I 
made  a  very  handsome  fortune  by  being,  as  I  supposed,  utterly 
ruined  I " 

When  he  was  rich  enough  to  own  and  use  a  carriage,  he  ap- 
plied to  Lord  Norbury  for  an  appropriate  motto  for  its  panels. 
The  wily  Judge  suggested  the  Latin  phrase,  "  Quid  rides." 

246. 

SOME  men  devote  themselves  so  exclusively  to  their  business, 
as  to  almost  entirely  neglect  their  domestic  and  social  relations. 
A  gentleman  of  this  class  having  failed,  was  asked  what  he 
intended  to  do.  "I  am  going  home  to  get  acquainted  with 
my  wife  and  children,"  said  he. 

247. 

Do  not,  like,  a  foolish  mariner,  always  calcutate  on  fair  weather. 
— Commerce,  as  well  as  life,  has  its  auspicious  ebbs  and  flows, 
that  baffle  human  sagacity,  and  defeat  the  most  rational  arrange- 
ment of  systems,  and  all  the  calculations  of  ordinary  prudence. 
Be  prepared,  therefore,  at  all  times,  for  commercial  revulsions 
and  financial  difficulties,  by  which  thousands  have  been  reduced 
to  beggary,  who  before  had  rioted  in  opulence,  and  thought  they 
might  bid  defiance  to  misfortune. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  419 


248. 

A  GENTLEMAN  from  Paris  writes  the  following : — I  saw 
through  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Mayor's  office,  in  the 
twelfth  arrondissement,  the  body  of  a  negro  hanging  by  the 
neck.  At  the  first  glance,  and  even  at  the  second,  I  took  it 
for  a  human  being,  whom  disappointed  love,  or  perhaps  an 
expeditious  judge,  had  disposed  of  so  suddenly ;  but  I  soon 
ascertained  that  the  ebony  gentleman  in  question  was  only  a 
large  doll,  as  large  as  Hfe.  What  to  think  of  this  I  did  not 
know,  so  I  asked  the  door-keeper  the  meaning  of  it. 

"This  is  the  Contraband  Museum,"  was  the  answer  :  and  on 
my  showing  a  curiosity  to  examine  it,  he  was  kind  enough  to 
act  as  my  cicerone. 

In  a  huge  dirty  room  are  scattered  over  the  floor,  along  the 
walls  and  on  the  ceiliner.  all  the  inventions  of  roOTerv  which  had 

law,  the  revenue  officers. 

It  is  a  complete  arsenal  of  the  weapons  of  smuggling,  all, 
unfortunately,  in  complete  confusion. 

Look  before  you  :  there  is  a  hogshead  dressed  up  for  a  nurse, 
with  a  child  that  holds  two  quarts  and  a  half.  On  the  other 
side  are  logs  hollow  as  the  Trojan  horse,  and  filled  with  armies 
of  cigars.  On  the  floor  lies  a  huge  boa  constrictor,  gorged 
with  China  silks  ;  and  just  beyond  it,  a  pile  of  coal  curiously 
perforated  with  spools  of  cotton. 

The  colored  gentleman  who  excited  my  sympathy  at  first,  met 
with  his  fate  under  the  following  circumstances  : — He  was  built 
of  tin,  painted  black,  and  stood  like  a  heyduck,  or  Ethiopean 
chasseur,  on  the  foot-board  of  a  carriage,  fastened  by  his  feet 
and  hands.  He  had  frequently  passed  through  the  gates,  and 
was  well  known  by  sight  to  the  soldiers,  who  noticed  he  was. 


420  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


always  showing  his  teeth,  which  they  supposed  to  be  the  cus- 
tom of  his  country. 

,  One  day  the  carriage  he  belonged  to  was  stopped  by  a  crowd 
at  the  gate.  There  was,  as  usual,  a  grand  chorus  of  yells  and 
oaths,  the  vocal  part  being  performed  by  the  drivers  and  cart- 
men,  and  the  instrumental  by  the  whips. 

The  negro,  however,  never  spoke  a  single  word.  His  good 
behavior  delighted  the  soldiers,  who  held  him  up  as  an  exam- 
ple to  the  crowd.  . 

"Look  at  that  black  fellow,"  they  cried,  "see  how  well 
he  behaves  !  Bravo,  nigger,  bravo  1 " 

He  showed  a  perfect  indifference  to  their  applause. 

"  My  friend,"  said  a  clerk  at  a  barrier,  jumping  up  on  the 
foot-board,  and  slapping  our  sable  friend  on  the  shoulder,  "  we 
are  very  much  obliged  to  you." 

Oh,  surprise  1  the  shoulder  rattled.  The  officer  was  bewil- 
dered, he  sounded  the  footman  all  over,  and  found  he  was  made 
of  metal,  and  as  full  as  his  skin  could  hold  of  the  very  best 
contraband  liquor  drawn  out  of  his  foot. 

The  juicy  mortal  was  seized  at  once,  and  carried  off  in 
triumph. 

The  first  night  the  revenue  people  drank  up  one  of  his  shoul- 
ders, and  he  was  soon  bled  to  death.  It  is  now  six  years  since 
he  lost  all  the  moisture  of  his  system,  and  was  reduced  to  a 
dry  skeleton. 

249. 

AN  old  gentleman  had  owed  a  firm  for  years  ;  at  last,  after 
everybody's  patience  and  temper  were  exhausted,  a  clerk  named 
Frank  undertook  to  get  the  money. 

Frank  called  upon  the  gentleman,   and   met  with  a  polite 


FOR   HERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  421 


reception,  and  the  usual  answer,  with  the  addition,  "  You  need 
not  trouble  yourself,  young  man,  about  the  matter  ;  I  will  make 
it  all  right." 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  Frank,  "  I  could  not  think  for  a  moment 
of  compelling  you  to  call  at  the  store  for  a  few  dollars.  It  will 
not  be  the  slightest  inconvenience  for  me  to  stop  in,  as  I  pass 
your  place  of  business  six  times  a  day,  to  and  from  my  meals, 
and  I  can  call  every  time  I  go  by." 

"  Here,"  said  the  old  fellow  to  his  book-keeper,  alarmed  at 
the  prospect  of  being  dunned  six  times  a  day  for  the  next  six 
months,  "  pay  this  impertinent  rascal.  He  can  beat  me  in 
politeness,  and,  if  he  wants  a  situation,  I  will  give  him  two 
thousand  dollars  a  year." 

250. 

IN  learning,  concentrate  the  energy  of  mind  principally  on 
the  study  ;  the  attention  divided  among  several  studies  is  weak- 
ened by  the  division  ;  besides,  it  is  not  given  to  man  to  excel  in 
many  things.  But  while  one  study  claims  your  main  attention, 
make  occasional  excursions  into  the  fields  of  literature  and  sci- 
ence, and  collect  materials  for  the  improvement  of  your  favor- 
ite pursuit. 

The  union  of  contemplative  habits  constructs  the  most  useful 
and  perfect  character  ;  contemplation  gives  relief  to  action  ; 
action  gives  relief  to  contemplation.  A  man  unaccustomed  to 
speculation  is  confined  to  a  narrow  routine  of  action  ;  a  man 
of  more  speculation  constructs  visionary  theories,  which  have 
no  practical  utility. 

Excellence  in  a  profession,  and  success  in  business,  are  to  be 
obtained  only  by  persevering  industry.  None  who  thinks  him- 
self above  his  vocation  can  succeed  in  it,  for  we  cannot  give 


422  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


our  attention  to  what  our  self-importance  despises.  None  can 
be  eminent  in  his  vocation  who  devotes  his  mental  energy  to 
a  pursuit  foreign  to  it,  for  success  in  what  we  love,  is  failure 
in  what  we  neglect. 

251. 

A  RAILROAD  train  was  rushing  along  at  almost  lightning  speed. 
A  curve  was  just  ahead,  beyond  which  was  a  station  at  which 
the  cars  usually  passed  each  other.  The  conductor  was  late,  so 
late  that  the  period  during  which  the  down-train  was  to  wait 
had  nearly  elapsed  :  but  he  hoped  yet  to  pass  the  curve  safely. 
Suddenly  a  locomotive  dashed  into  sight  right  ahead.  In  an 
instant  there  was  a  collision.  A  shriek,  a  shock,  and  fifty 
souls  were  in  eternity  ;  and  all  because  an  engineer  had  been 
behind  time. 

A  great  battle  was  being  fought.  Column  after  column  had 
been  precipitated  for  eight  mortal  hours  on  the  enemy  posted 
along  the  ridge  of  a  hill.  The  summer  sun  was  sinking  to  the 
west ;  reinforcements  for  the  obstinate  defenders  were  already 
in  sight ;  it  was  necessary  to  carry  the  position  with  one  final 
charge,  or  every  thing  would  be  lost.  A  powerful  corps  had 
been  summoned  from  across  the  country,  and  if  it  came  up  in 
season  all  would  yet  be  right.  The  great  conqueror,  confident 
in  its  arrival,  formed  his  reserve  into  an  attacking  column,  and 
led  them  down  the  hill.  The  whole  world  knows  the  result. 
Grouchy  failed  to  appear ;  the  imperial  guard  was  beaten  back  ; 
Waterloo  was  lost.  Napoleon  died  a  prisoner  at  St.  Helena 
because  one  of  his  marshals  was  behind  time. 

A  leading  firm  in  commercial  circles  had  long  struggled 
against  bankruptcy.  As  it  had  enormous  assets  in  California, 
it  expected  remittances  by  a  certain  day,  and  if  the  sums  prom- 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  423 


ised  arrived,  its  credit,  its  honor,  and  its  future  prosperity 
wonld  be  preserved.  But  week  after  week  elapsed  without 
bringing  the  gold.  At  last  came  the  fatal  day  on  which  the 
firm  had  bills  maturing  to  enormous  amounts.  The  steamer 
was  telegraphed  at  daybreak  ;  but  it  was  found  on  inquiry  that 
she  brought  no  funds  ;  and  the  house  failed.  The  next  arrival 
brought  nearly  half  a  million  to  the  insolvents,  but  it  was  too 
late  ;  they  were  ruined  because  their  agent,  in  remitting,  had 
been  behind  time. 

A  condemned  man  was  being  led  out  for  execution.  He  had 
taken  human  life,  but  under  circumstances  of  the  greatest  pro- 
vocation, and  public  sympathy  was  active  in  his  behalf.  Thou- 
sands had  signed  petitions  for  a  reprieve,  a  favorable  answer 
had  been  expected  the  night  before,  and  though  it  had  not 
come,  even  the  sheriff  felt  confident  that  it  would  yet  arrive  in 
season.  Thus  the  morning  passed  without  the  appearance  of 
the  messenger.  The  last  moment  was  up.  The  prisoner  took 
his  place  on  the  drop,  the  cap  was  drawn  over  his  eyes,  the  bolt 
was  drawn,  and  a  lifeless  body  swung  revolving  in  the  wind. 
Just  at  that  moment  a  horseman  came  into  sight,  galloping 
down  hill,  his  steed  covered  with  foam.  He  carried  a  packet 
in  his  right  hand,  which  he  waved  partially  to  the  crowd.  He 
was  the  express  rider  with  the  reprieve.  But  he  had  come  too 
late.  A  comparatively  innocent  man  had  died  an  ignominious 
death  because  a  watch  had  been  five  minutes  too  slow,  making 
its  bearer  arrive  behind  time. 

It  is  continually  so  in  life.  The  best  laid  plans,  the  most 
important  affairs,  the  fortunes  of  individuals,  the  weal  of  na- 
tions, honor,  happiness,  life  itself,  are  daily  sacrificed  because 
somebody  is  "  behind  time."  There  are  men  who  always  fail 
in  whatever  they  undertake,  simply  because  they  are  "  behind 


424  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


time."  There  are  others  who  put  off  reformation  year  by  year, 
till  death  seizes  them,  and  they  perish  unrepentant,  because  for 
ever  "  behind  time."  The  Allies  have  lost  nearly  a  year  at 
Sebastopol,  because  they  delayed  a  superfluous  day  after  the 
battle  of  Alma,  and  came  up  too  late  for  a  coup  de  main,  just 
twenty-four  hours  "  behind  time."  Five  minutes  in  a  crisis  is 
worth  years.  It  is  but  a  little  period,  yet  it  has  often  saved 
a  fortune  or  redeemed  a  people.  If  there  is  one  virtue  that 
should  be  cultivated  more  than  another  by  him  who  would  suc- 
ceed in  life,  it  is  punctuality  ;  if  there  is  one  error  that  should 
be  avoided,  it  is  being  behind  time. 

252. 

THERE  is  nothing  which  should  be  more  frequently  impressed 
upon  the  minds  of  yonng  men  than  the  importance  of  steadily 
pursuing  some  one  business.  The  frequent  changing  from  one 
employment  to  another  is  one  of  the  most  common  errors  com- 
mitted, and  to  it  may  be  traced  more  than  half  the  failures 
of  men  hi  business,  and  much  of  the  discontent  and  disappoint- 
ment that  render  life  uncomfortable.  It  is  a  very  common 
thing  for  a  man  to  be  dissatisfied  with  his  business,  and  to 
desire  to  change  it  for  some  other,  and  what  seems  to  him 
will  prove  a  more  lucrative  employment ;  but  in  nine  cases  out 
of  ten  it  is  a  mistake.  Look  round  you,  and  you  will  find  among 
your  acquaintances  abundant  verification  of  our  assertion. 

Here  is  a  young  man  who  commenced  life  as  a  mechanic,  but 
from  some  cause  imagined  that  he  ought  to  have  been  a  doctor ; 
and  after  a  hasty  and  shallow  preparation  has  taken  up  the 
saddle-bags  only  to  find  that  work  is  still  work,  and  that  his 
patients  are  no  more  profitable  than  his  work-bench,  and  the 
occupation  not  a  whit  more  agreeable. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  425 


Here  are  two  young  men,  clerks ;  one  of  them  is  content, 
when  his  first  term  of  service  is  over,  to  continue  a  clerk  till  he 
shall  have  saved  enough  to  commence  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count ;  the  other  can't  wait,  but  starts  off  without  capital  and 
with  a  limited  experience,  and  brings  up  after  a  few  years  in  a 
court  of  insolvency,  while  his  former  comrade  by  patient  perse- 
verance comes  out  at  last  with  a  fortune. 

That  young  lawyer  who  became  disheartened  because  briefs 
and  cases  did  not  crowd  upon  him  while  he  was  yet  redolent  of 
calf-bound  volumes,  and  had  small  use  for  red  tape,  who  con- 
cluded that  he  had  mistaken  his  calling  and  so  plunged  into 
politics,  finally  settled  down  into  the  character  of  a  middling 
pettifogger,  scrambling  for  his  daily  bread. 

There  is  an  honest  farmer  who  has  toiled  a  few  years,  got  his 
x  farm  paid  for,  but  does  not  grow  rich  very  rapidly,  as  much  for 
lack  of  contentment  mingled  with  his  industry  as  any  thing, 
though  he  is  not  aware  of  it — he  hears  the  wonderful  stories  of 
California,  and  how  fortunes  may  be  had  for  the  trouble  of 
picking  them  up  ;  mortgages  his  farm  to  raise  money,  goes  away 
to  the  land  of  gold,  and  after  many  months  of  hard  toil,  comes 
home  to  commence  again  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  for  a  more 
weary  and  less  successful  climbing  up  again. 

Mark  the  men  in  every  community,  who  are  notorious  for 
ability  and  equally  notorious  for  never  getting  ahead,  and  you 
will  usually  find  them  to  be  those  who  never  stick  to  any  one 
business  long,  but  are  always  forsaking  their  occupation  just 
when  it  begins  to  be  profitable. 

Young  man,  stick  to  your  business.  It  may  be  you  have 
mistaken  your  calling, — if  so,  find  it  out  as  quick  as  possible  and 
change  it ;  but  don't  let  any  uneasy  desire  to  get  along  fast,  or 
a  dislike  of  your  honest  calling,  lead  you  to  abandon  it.  Have 


426  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


some  honest  occupation  and  then  stick  to  it :  if  you  are  sticking 
type,  stick  away  at  them  ;  if  you  are  selling  oysters,  keep  on 
selling  them  ;  if  you  are  at  the  law,  hold  fast  to  that  profession  : 
pursue  the  business  you  have  chosen,  persistently,  industriously, 
and  hopefully,  and  if  there  is  any  thing  of  you  it  will  appear 
and  turn  to  account  in  that  as  well  or  better  than  in  any  other 
calling ;  only  if  you  are  a  loafer,  forsake  that  line  of  life  as 
speedily  as  possible,  for  the  longer  you  stick  to  it,  the  worse  it 
will  "stick"  to  you. 

253. 

THE  most  splendid  prizes  offered  to  resolute  ambition  are 
presented  in  the  United  States.  The  unexampled  vigor  of 
thought,  quickness  of  apprehension,  promptitude  of  action,  and 
indomitable  effort  arise  from  this  fact ;  and  this  affords  a  grand 
reason  why  we  should  aim  for  the  diffusion  of  general  intelligence, 
as  only  intelligent  labor  can  achieve  the  results  towards  which 
we  look.  The  young  man  feels  the  influence  of  the  mighty  ac- 
tivity about  him  in  the  great  city,  as  the  swimmer  feels  the  pres- 
sure and  heaving  of  the  sea,  and  he  longs  to  put  forth  new  efforts 
for  the  grand  results  which  he  sees  others  achieving.  He  sees  all 
around  him  men  who  began  life  without  a  dollar,  and  with  no 
more  credit  than  honesty,  skill  and  industry  may  call  to  his  aid 
at  any  time  ;  and  as  he  glances  at  their  greatness  of  achieve- 
ment, he  asks  himself,  "Why  cannot  I  also  be  rich  and  in- 
fluential?" To  such  an  one  a  few  thoughts  may  be  useful 
touching  Capital  and  Enterprise,  by  which  alone  the  splendid 
prizes  of  mercantile  life  are  to  be  secured. 

And  first,  many  persons  suppose  that  success  is  mainly  de- 
pendent on  having  a  good  "  set  out"  in  youth,  and  the  winning 
of  legislative  favors  in  behalf  of  one's  business.  These  are  com- 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND  MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  427 


mon  fallacies,  but  by  a  belief  in  them  thousands  are  kept  from 
making  any  vigorous  effort,  saying,  "  It's  too  late  for  me  to 
try,"  and,  "  I  can't  get  political  influence  to  help  me."  Now  in 
reference  to  the  first  idea,  take  the  nearest  illustration — Stephen 
Girard.  We  walk  through  a  splendid  square,  and  find  it  the 
"  Girard  Property."  Here  is  a  Bank,  there  stately  edifices,  and 
elsewhere  a  magnificent  College  with  its  imposing  companion 
buildings,  and  it  is  all  "  Girard  Property."  When  did  this  man 
begin  to  accumulate  ?  Hon.  Edward  Everett  says  Girard  told 
him  that  at  the  age  of  forty  his  circumstances  were  so  narrow 
that  he  was  employed  as  commander  of  his  own  sloop,  engaged 
in  the  coasting  trade  between  New  York  or  Philadelphia  and 
New  Orleans,  adding  that  he  was  once  forty-five  days  in  working 
his  way  up  the  Balize  to  the  city.  And  surely  legislation  did 
not  help  Girard.  By  no  favor  of  politicians  was  his  labor  se- 
cured as  profitable  ;  and  nothing  is  more  foolish  than  to  take 
away  attention  from  steady,  prudent,  heroic  effort,  and  try  to 
find  some  political  magic  to  account  for  the  golden  product. 

Many  persons  are  kept  from  securing  the  aid  of  Capital  by  the 
false  or  low  views  entertained  of  it,  as  those  views  prompt  them 
to  think  meanly  of  capitalists,  and  to  doubt  more  than  they 
should  the  disposition  of  capitalists  to  aid  the  enterprising.  The 
young  merchant  should  be  cautious  of  dealing  with  those  who 
make  great  pretensions  of  disinterested  aid,  who  stimulate  am- 
bition by  encouraging  hopes  of  an  immediate  fortune  ;  for  such 
is  not  the  method  of  the  really  generous.  A  bubbling  stream 
may  make  more  noise  than  a  deep  and  strong  river  ;  and  when 
the  summer  heat  has  dried  up  the  brook,  the  river  may  roll  on 
still  mighty  and  strong  ;  and  so  there  is  more  noise  in  unloading 
than  in  loading  the  cart.  A  man  who  really  means  to  aid  a 
young  merchant,  is  a  man  of  cautious  dealing  ;  he  wants  to  im- 


428  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


part  not  only  the  capital  of  gold,  but  also  of  that  wisdom  and 
direction  which  are  better  than  gold,  as  by  the  sagacity  which 
they  impart  gold  is  best  secured,  best  used,  and  best  enjoyed. 

When  declamation  is  made  against  Capital,  the  declaimer 
generally  has  in  view  gigantic  corporations,  the  consolidation  of 
many  interests  into  one.  But  this  is  wrong.  Whatever  a  man 
has  beyond  what  is  necessary  to  supply  his  immediate  wants,  is 
Capital.  The  story  of  many  an  opulent  merchant  is,  "Having, 
when  I  began  life,  a  little  capital,  I  bought  a  few  articles  and 
opened  a  little  store."  The  few  dollars  of  that  man  were  as  truly 
capital  as  his  hundreds  of  thousands  afterwards ;  and  he  was 
trading  on  his  capital  no  less  when  he  paid  fifty  dollars  rental  per 
annum,  than  when  he  paid  five  thousand  dollars.  Such  men  are 
now  in  our  city,  who  owe  their  great  change  to  nothing  but  what 
is  available  to  every  young  man  who  will  patiently  and  thoroughly 
educate  himself  for  the  business  for  which  he  has  an  aptitude. 
Capital  is  property,  be  the  amount  small  or  great ;  as  the  perse- 
verance, industry  and  talent  of  the  young  merchant  is  as  really 
the  essential  of  success  when  united  with  small  means,  as  when  it 
is  applied  to  the  accumulated  success  of  years,  and  helps  on  the 
commerce  of  a  great  city  by  aiding  railroads  and  the  establish- 
ment of  lines  of  steamships  and  packets,  making  the  humblest 
citizen  the  better  off  by  the  increase  of  business  thus  induced. 
Capital  is  the  mainspring  of  business  operations.  Enterprise 
keeps  up  the  motion  imparted  by  Capital,  and  accumulates  forces 
as  it  moves  on.  Capital  builds  the  ship,  and  Enterprise  works 
it.  Enterprise  talks,  imagines,  projects :  Capital  affords  the 
means  to  do.  And  nothing  is  more  important  than  that  there 
should  be  a  good  understanding  between  the  two  :  for  true 
Enterprise  will  no  more  recklessly  give  its  talent  and  energy, 
than  true  Capital  will  enter  into  Quixotic  fights  with  a  windmill. 


FOB   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  429 


The  inventive  complain  that  Capital  will  not  help  them :  but 
they  never  think  they  are  wronging  Capital  when  by  some  im- 
provement on  an  invention  which  Capital  has  aided,  they  make 
the  property  in  tneir  first  invention  valueless.  A  man's  money 
is  as  much  his  own  as  a  man's  talent ;  and  Capital  may  as  well 
complain  that  Enterprise  will  not  help  it  as  Capital  desires,  as 
Enterprise  complain  that  Capital  will  not  listen  to  its  voice  and 
make  the  experiment  proposed.  If,  as  every  one  allows,  Capital 
is  requisite  to  the  most  advantageous  employment  of  labor,  talent, 
genius,  why  cast  any  odium  on  capitalists  as  a  class  ?  Why  not 
seek  for  a  better  understanding  between  the  classes  who  need 
each  other  ?  Capital  can  no  more  afford  this  war  than  Enter- 
prise, and  the  American  should  cautiously  guard  himself  against 
cherishing  the  traditions  of  Europeans  respecting  the  accumu- 
lation of  property,  for  we  have  laws  which  forbid  the  existence 
of  the  principal  causes  that  pile  up  wealth  in  the  old  world  hi  a 
manner  that  renders  it  destructive  to  the  ambition  of  the  lowly. 
He  who  scorns  poverty,  because  he  possesses  riches,  is  scorning 
his  father  or  grandfather ;  and  he  who  despises  wealth,  is 
despising  that  to  which  he  is  secretly  aspiring,  and  to  which  he 
is  looking  for  the  good  of  his  children  and  country.  Capital 
must  be  honored  ;  for  it  is,  in  general,  the  representative  of 
arduous  toil,  sobriety,  frugality,  promptitude  of  action,  and  it 
speaks  of  the  successful  treading  in  paths  open  to  all — to  the 
feeblest  foot,  as  well  as  to  the  most  gigantic.  Capital  builds  our 
wharves  ;  erects  our  factories  :  creates  a  sphere  for  the  noblest 
efforts  of  the  mechanic  arts  ;  feeds  the  fires  of  the  furnaces  that 
separate  the  ore  of  the  iron  and  melt  the  material  which  takes 
ten  thousand  forms,  all  symbolizing  what  united  energies  can 
achieve.  Capital  in  the  vast  merchant  keeps  the  small  capital 
invested  in  each  of  the  hundreds  of  drays  moving  and  productive  ; 


430  -    MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


and  the  success  of  Capital  in  its  vastness  is  felt  no  less  in  the 
price  of  eggs  in  the  market  than  in  the  price  of  bales  of  cotton 
on  the  wharves.  The  American  who  cherishes  the  generous 
principles  which  are  allied  to  the  real  prosperity  of  his  country, 
will  scorn  the  thrusts  at  Capital — will  regard  the  sacred  ness  of 
property  in  the  mass  as  in  the  minutia — will  never  lend  his  tongue 
to  the  disorganizing  shout,  "  Down  with  Capital ! "  but  give  a 
bugle's  tone  to  the  shout,  "  Up  with  Capital  and  Enterprise  !" 

But  let  us  not  fail  to  qualify  the  common  idea  of  Enterprise 
Enterprise  is  not  simply  a  steam  engine,  but  a  steam  engine  with 
a  good  engineer.  It  remembers  draw-bridges,  and  looks  ahead 
to  see  if  they  are  down  or  up.  It  remembers  that  the  reverse 
movement  is  as  essential  as  the  advance...  It  is  the  grand  thought 
of  deathless  Crockett,  "  Be  sure  you're  right — THEN  go  ahead." 
It  is  not  that  rash  extravagance  which  pushes  effort  to  the  very 
verge  of  ruin  so  that  the  least  disaster  is  fatal.  It  deals  with 
Capital,  when  it  wants  its  favor,  as  the  Irishman  dealt  with  the 
gentleman  who  wanted  a  coachman,  and  who  asked  each  appli- 
cant how  near  he  thought  he  could  drive  to  the  edge  of  a  certain 
precipice  without  going  over  ?  Some  declared  they  could  drive 
to  within  half  a  foot  or  less,  but  Patrick  more  prudently  an- 
swered, "  And  faith  I'd  keep  away  as  far  as  I  could."  That 
was  the  man  desired  ;  and  he  was  impelled  not  only  by  regard  to 
the  safety  of  his  master,  but  also  the  safety  of  himself.  But 
there  are  many  who  are  like  the  rash  engineer,  who  pushed  on  in 
his  recklessness  by  the  idea  that  when  the  train  must  go  over  the 
precipice,  he  can  safely  jump  off  from  the  engine.  True  Enter- 
prise will  neither  risk  Capital  of  others,  nor  its  own  character. 
It  builds  on  a  real  foundation.  It  is  no  less  practical  than  specu- 
lative. It  keeps  before  its  vision  the  whole  field  of  operation  ; 
and  while  it  talks  large,  it  has  facts  to  justify  even  a  broader  ex- 


FOR   MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  431 


pression.  It  knows  the  philosophy  of  common  sense  :  it  asks  for 
what  is  known,  not  for  what  is  fancied  ;  and  while  it  has  a 
wonderful  impressibility,  quick  to  see  and  understand,  it  has  also 
a  reserve  power  of  all-controlling  energy.  Its  perturbations  are 
only  as  those  in  the  heavens  by  which  the  new  planet  was  dis- 
covered ;  and  when  its  grand  projects,  its  magnificent  schemes 
seem  to  be  but  as  the  river  covered  with  mist,  when  there  is  no 
sign  of  a  ship  on  the  waters,  the  result  will  show  something  as 
real  and  grand  as  the  sight  of  the  steamships  and  the  sail  ships 
moving  up  the  river,  when  the  mist  has  departed  and  the  fresh 
winds  are  favorable. 

Honor,  then,  to  Capital !  as  the  representative  of  Enterprise 
which  has  wrought  in  adaptation  to  other  times  and  other  modes 
of  business  operations  than  are  now  about  us.  Honor  to  Enter- 
prise !  now  in  the  field,  with  energies  fresh  for  the  work  of  to- 
day, with  keen  eyes  to  see  all  the  relations  of  commerce,  and 
with  a  brain  affluent  in  resources  to  baffle  the  perplexities  of  the 
present,  and  prepare  for  the  possible  emergencies  of  the  future. 
Honor  to  Capital  and  Enterprise  !  hand  clasping  hand  in  the 
amenities  of  commerce,  and  mind  working  with  mind  to  build  up 
the  waste  places,  to  restore  the  breach,  to  develop  the  resources 
which  make  shuttles  fly  and  hammers  ring  on  the  anvil — that 
light  up  the  mines  and  send  the  loaded  car  of  "  black  diamonds" 
over  the  shining  rail — and  that  fill  the  mighty  city  with  the  ac- 
cumulated evidences  of  the  Art  and  Energy,  the  Industry  and 
Thrift  of  the  nation,  and  with  the  tributes  of  the  world  to  youth- 
ful America. 

254. 

TAKE  care  of  your  business,  when  young,  and  it  will  take 
care  of  you  when  old. — Follow  your  business  closely,  and  it 
will  lead  yon  to  honor  and  wealth. 


432  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


255. 

WHEN  Prince  Talleyrand  was  in  office,  he  always  had  agents 
who  visited  the  coffee-houses,  and  all  other  places  of  resort  in 
Paris,  who  reported  to  him  what  ordinary  people  said  of  all 
public  measures  and  public  men.  While  he  was  dressing  in  the 
morning,  these  agents  were  admitted,  and  thus  informed  him  of 
the  state  of  current  opinions  upon  all  important  affairs.  From 
these  sources  he  obtained  the  idea  of  many  of  those  measures 
which  made  him  the  most  renowned  diplomatist  of  the  day.  When 
asked  the  secret  of  that  sagacity  which  had  surprised  all  Europe, 
he  replied  that  his  rule  was  to  keep  his  watch  ten  minutes  faster 
than  those  around  him.  That  is,  anticipating  those  changes 
which  public  feeling  had  rendered  certain,  he  always  placed  him- 
self at  then1  head,  and  thus  appeared  to  be  a  leader,  while  others 
appeared  to  be  led.  This  is  the  great  secret  of  all  success  in 
life.  The  wise  man  waits  not  to  be  the  sport  of  men  or  of  meas- 
ures but  anticipates  the  inevitable. 

In  the  choice  of  associates  and  friends,  if  a  man  will  keep  his 
watch  ten  minutes  fast,  it  will  save  him  many  a  troublesome  and 
disreputable  acquaintance.  Two  wealthy  men  of  the  Southern 
States  visited  a  city  together.  They  were  brothers-in-law.  Both 
had  speculated  largely,  and  they  frequently  endorsed  each  other's 
paper.  They  strolled  into  a  billiard  saloon,  and  one  of  them  was 
soon  engaged  in  play,  and  won  a  thousand  dollars  that  night. 
It  was  not  to  either  of  them  a  large  sum,  either  to  win  or  lose. 
Nothing  was  said  at  the  tune,  but  next  morning  the  fortunate 
player  bought  a  valuable  property,  on  time,  and  requested  his 
brother-in-law  to  become  his  security.  The  other  replied,  that 
had  he  applied  the  previous  day,  he  should  of  course  have  done 
it  at  once,  but  after  what  had  happened  the  night  before  he 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  433 


saw  he  would  soon  be  ruined  and  would  endorse  for  him  no 
more.  In  a  few  years  the  successful  player  was  ruined,  and 
law-suits  probably  not  yet  decided  had  grown  out  of  that  very 
purchase.  The  other  became  immensely  wealthy,  speculated 
largely  in  cotton,  and  once  related  this  anecdote  as  a  proof  of 
his  sagacity.  He,  however,  himself  became  addicted  to  intem- 
perance, and  not  long  afterwards  a  large  planter  refused  to  send 
him  cotton,  lest  his  affairs  might  get  into  confusion,  owing  to  his 
habits.  Thus  each  man  tries  to  set  his  watch  ten  minutes  faster 
than  his  neighbor,  and  he  who  succeeds  wins. 

Character  is  the  essence  of  destiny,  and  habits  soon  form  and 
fix  character.  All  men  have  in  the  circle  of  their  acquaintances 
many  whose  habits  will  cause  them  to  rise,  while  others  for  the 
same  reason  must  sink.  If  misfortune  overtake  a  friend,  or  if 
injustice  be  done  him,  abhorred  be  the  man  who  will  not  stick  to 
his  companion,  and  do  his  best  to  see  him  through. 

But  for  that  very  reason,  if  he  knows  beforehand  that  his 
associate  be  a  man  of  unprincipled  habits,  let  him  not  cultivate 
his  acquaintance,  but  keep  his  watch  ten  minutes  fast.  So  he 
who  helps  forward  an  industrious,  well-principled  man,  however 
poor  at  the  time,  is  but  anticipating  the  judgment  of  the  world  ; 
leading  public  opinion,  instead  of  following  it,  making  a  friend 
who  is  sure  to  rise. 

In  the  government  of  himself  especially,  let  every  man  strive 
to  set  his  watch  faster  than  other  people.  Habits  good  in  them- 
selves may  increase  until  they  become  injurious  to  health  or 
character.  Some  need  keeping  in  check,  some  stimulating,  some 
pruning,  and  some  are  downright  weeds,  pulling  right  up,  root 
and  branch,  without  mercy.  If  taken  in  time  and  with  daily 
care,  it  will  be  a  pleasant  duty  thus  to  keep  in  order  the  garden 
of  the  mind.  But  if  the  weeds  once  get  the  upper  hand,  a  man 

19 


434  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


will  find  his  task  one  of  increasing  difficulty  !  The  richest  lands 
are  most  troubled  with  weeds.  In  the  cotton  fields  of  the  South, 
if  the  grass  once  gets  a  fair  start  and  a  little  wet  weather  sets  in, 
the  whole  field  may  be  rendered  unproductive.  Idleness  is  a  very 
common  weed,  but  is  easily  kept  under,  if  industrious  habits  be 
only  formed  in  time,  and  he  whose  day  begins  only  ten  minutes 
earlier  than  those  around  him,  will  find  the  benefit  of  Talley- 
rand's maxim.  A  good  name  is  not  difficult  to  obtain,  by  simply 
observing  the  same  rule.  Let  a  man  only  keep  a  little  hi  advance 
of  all  that  can  be  reasonably  expected  of  him  in  every  depart- 
ment, and  reputation  is  certain.  But  once  get  a  little  behind, 
and  it  will  be  almost  impossible  ever  again  to  take  the  lead. 

No  man  illustrates  the  truth  of  the  diplomatist's  saying  more 
completely  than  "the  fast  young  man."  His  watch  has  lost  the 
balance-wheel.  It  goes  round  and  round  with  erratic  useless 
violence,  tearing  all  the  works  to  pieces  with  the  force  of  its  own 
motions,  rushing  through  a  hundred  hours  in  one,  but  keeping  no 
time  for  a  second. 

Earnest  moral  principle  is  the  balance-wheel  of  character.  It 
regulates  and  keeps  the  whole  man  in  order.  Each  man  has  in 
him  the  germs  of  habits  that  may  become  his  rum.  If  indulged 
to  excess,  his  very  best  qualities  may  do  this.  Even  a  warm, 
generous  and  impulsive  heart  is  the  ruin  of  many  a  man,  if  its 
impulses  are  not  held  in  check,  and  balanced  by  a  lofty  sense  of 
immediate  duty  to  God  and  man.  He  will  never  regret  it,  who 
occupies  a  short  portion  of  each  day  in  adjusting  and  quickening 
conscience,  the  regulator  of  his  actions,  by  communion  with  the 
Father  of  Spirits. 

256. 

LIVE  up  to  your  engagements.  Keep  your  own  secrets,  if 
you  have  any. 


TOR   MERCHANTS   JLND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  435 


257. 

THERE  is  not  only  no  necessity,  but  no  propriety  in  a  man's 
making  a  slave  of  himself.  Men  enough  there  are  to  do  the 
work  of  society  without  imposing  double  duty  upon  any.  Indeed, 
many  are  standing  idle,  who  might  find  occupation,  if  others  did 
not  insist  on  monopolizing  more  than  their  share  of  work.  It  is 
a  pity,  if,  after  so  many  boasted  inventions  of  labor-saving 
machines,  the  inventor  himself  is  to  derive  no  benefit  from  them 
in  some  relief  from  work.  But  it  really  seems  that  the  more 
powers  of  mechanics,  steam,  and  electricity  are  brought  into 
play,  the  more  men  and  horses  are  obliged  to  work. 

There  are  two  evils  that  require  to  be  corrected:  one  is 
laziness  ;  the  other,  overwork.  The  world  has  about  enough  of 
labor  to  be  done  easily  and  with  comfort.  All  that  seems  re- 
quisite to  accomplish  it  agreeably,  is,  to  make  each  person  do  his 
share  and  no  more.  Moderate  labor  is  the  virtue ;  indolence 
and  slavery  the  opposite  vices.  The  complete  man  is  he  who  has 
not  sold  himself  to  any  calling  or  profession,  who  plays  and 
works  by  turns,  keeps  a  corner  of  his  heart  for  friendship,  the 
affections  and  humanity ;  and,  through  and  over  all,  consecrates 
his  activity,  capacities  and  powers  to  the  great  Invisible,  from 
whom  he  has  derived  them,  and  to  whom  he  is  accountable  for 
their  use  or  their  abuse. 

258. 

Appearances  not  always  to  be  trusted. — Trust  to  no  man's  ap- 
pearances ;  they  are  deceptive, — perhaps  assumed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  credit.  Beware  of  a  gaudy  exterior.  The 
rich  and  prudent  are  plain  men.  Rogues  usually  dress  well. 
Never  deal  with  a  man  who  flies  in  a  passion  on  being  dunned. 


436  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


259. 

WHAT  a  glorious  thing  is  occupation  for  the  human  heart ! 
Those  who  work  hard  seldom  yield  themselves  entirely  up  to  fan- 
cied or  real  sorrow.  When  grief  sits  down,  folds  its  hands,  and 
mournfully  feeds  upon  its  own  tears,  weaving  the  dim  shadows, 
that  a  little  exertion  might  sweep  away,  into  a  funeral  pall,  the 
strong  spirit  is  shorn  of  its  might,  and  sorrows  became  our  juis- 
ter.  When  troubles  flow  upon  you  dark  and  heavy,  toil  not  with 
the  waves,  wrestle  not  with  the  torrent ;  rather  seek,  by  occu- 
pation, to  divert  the  dark  waters  that  threaten  to  overwhelm  you 
into  a  thousand  channels  which  the  duties  of  life  always  present. 
Before  you  dream  of  it  those  waters  will  fertilize  the  present  and 
give  birth  to  fresh  flowers  that  may  brighten  the  future — flowers 
that  will  become  pure  and  holy  in  the  sunshine  which  penetrates 
to  the  path  of  duty  in  spite  of  every  obstacle.  Grief,  after  all, 
is  but  a  selfish  feeling,  and  most  selfish  is  the  man  who  yields 
himself  to  the  indulgence  of  any  passion  which  brings  no  joy  to 
his  fellow-man. 

260. 

IF  you  want  to  learn  the  value  of  money,  says  the  "Knicker- 
bocker" go  and  labor  for  a  day  or  two  as  a  hod-carrier,  beneath 
the  scorching  rays  of  a  summer  sun.  This  is  an  excellent  idea, 
and  if  many  of  our  young  gentlemen  had  to  earn  then1  dollars 
in  that  way,  how  much  less  dissipation  and  crime  we  would  wit- 
ness every  day  I  So  of  our  fashionable  young  ladies,  if  they, 
like  some  of  the  poor  seamstresses  of  our  large  cities,  had  to 
earn  their  dollars  by  making  shirts  at  ten  cents  apiece,  how 
much  less  finery  should  we  see  about  them,  and  how  much  more 
truthful  notions  would  they  have  of  their  duties  of  life  and  their 
obligations  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  43 1 


261. 

ONE  day,  as  Mr.  Lawson,  a  merchant  tailor,  stood  at  his 
cutting  board,  a  poorly  dressed  woman  entered  his  shop,  and 
approaching  him,  asked,  with  some  embarrassment  and  timidity, 
if  he  had  any  work  to  give  out. 

"  What  can  you  do?"  asked  the  tailor,  looking  rather  coldly 
upon  his  visitor. 

"  I  can  make  pantaloons  and  vests,"  replied  the  girl. 

"  Have  you  ever  worked  for  a  merchant  tailor  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  have  worked  for  Mr.  Wright." 

"  Has  he  nothing  for  you  to  do  ?  " 

"  No  ;  not  just  now.  He  has  regular  hands  who  always  get 
the  preference." 

"  Did  your  work  suit  him  ?" 

"  He  never  found  fault  with  it." 

"  Where  do  you  live  ?" 

"  In  Cherry  street  at  No  — ." 

Mr.  Lawson  stood  and  mused  for  a  short  time.  "  I  have  a 
vest  here,"  he  at  length  said,  taking  a  small  bundle  from  the 
shelf,  "  which  I  want  by  to-morrow  evening  at  the  latest.  If 
you  think  you  can  do  it  very  neatly,  and  have  it  done  in  time, 
you  can  take  it." 

"  It  shall  be  done  in  time,"  said  the  young  woman,  reaching 
out  eagerly  for  the  bundle. 

"  And  remember,  I  shall  expect  it  made  well.  If  I  like  your 
work,  I  will  give  you  more." 

"  I  will  try  to  please  you,"  returned  the  young  girl. 

"  To-morrow  evening,  recollect." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  will  have  it  done." 

The  girl  turned  and  went  quickly  away.     In  a  back  room  in 


438  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIKS 


the  third  story  of  an  old  house  in  Cherry  street,  was  the  home 
of  the  poor  sewing  girl.  As  she  entered,  she  said  in  a  cheerful 
voice  to  her  sick  sister,  "  Mary,  I  have  got  work  ;  it  is  a  vest, 
and  I  must  have  it  done  by  to-morrow  evening." 

"  Can  you  finish  it  in  time  ?"  inquired  the  invalid  in  a  feeble 
voice. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  easily." 

It  proved  to  be  a  white  Marseilles.  As 'soon  as  the  invalid 
sister  saw  this,  she  said,  "  I  am  afraid  you  will  not  be  able  to 
get  it  done  in  time,  Ellen.  You  are  not  very  fast  with  the 
needle,  and  besides,  you  are  very  far  from  being  well." 

"  Don't  fear  in  the  least,  Mary  ;  I  will  do  all  I  engaged 
todo." 

It  was  after  dark  the  next  night  when  Ellen  finished  the  gar- 
ment. She  was  weary  and  faint,  having  taken  no  food  since 
morning.  The  want  of  everything,  and  particularly  for  herself 
and  sister,  made  seventy-five  cents,  the  sum  which  she  expected 
to  receive  for  making  the  garment,  a  treasure  in  her  imagination. 
She  hurried  off  with  the  vest  the  moment  it  was  finished,  say- 
ing to  her  sister,  "  I  will  be  back  as  soon  as  possible,  and  bring 
you  some  cordial,  and  something  for  our  supper  and  breakfast." 

"  Here  it  is  half-past  eight  o'clock,  and  the  vest  is  not  yet  in," 
said  Mr.  Lawson,  in  a  fretful  tone.  "  I  had  my  doubts  about 
the  girl  when  I  gave  it  to  her.  But  she  looked  so  poor,  and 
seemed  so  earnest  about  the  work,  that  I  was  weak  enough  to 
intrust  her  with  the  garment."  At  this  moment  Ellen  came  in 
and  laid  the  vest  on  the  counter,  where  Mr.  Lawson  was  stand- 
ing. She  said  nothing,  neither  did  he.  Taking  the  vest,  he  un- 
folded it  in  a  manner  which  plainly  showed  him  not  to  be  in  a 
very  placid  frame  of  mind. 

"  Goodness  ! "  he  ejaculated,  turning  over  the  garment,  and 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  439 


looking1  at  the  girl.  She  shrunk  back  from  the  counter  and 
looked  frightened. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  pretty  job  for  one  to  bring  in  !"  said  the  tailor 
in  an  excited  tone  of  voice  ;  "a  pretty  job  indeed  !"  at  the  same 
time  tossing  the  vest  away  from  him  in  angry  contempt,  and 
walking  off  to  another  part  of  the  store. 

Ellen  remained  at  the  counter.  At  length  he  said  to  her, 
"  You  need  not  stand  there,  Miss,  thinking  I  am  going  to  pay 
you  for  ruining  a  job.  It  is  bad  enough  to  lose  my  material  and 
customer.  In  justice  you  should  pay  me  for  the  vest ;  but  there 
is  no  hope  for  that ;  so  take  yourself  off,  and  never  let  me  set 
eyes  on  you  again." 

Ellen  made  no  reply  ;  she  turned  round,  raised  her  hands  to 
her  forehead,  and  bursting  into  tears,  walked  slowly  away. 

After  Ellen  had  gone,  Mr.  Lawson  returned  to  the  front  part 
of  the  store,  and  taking  up  the  vest  brought  it  back  to  where  an 
elderly  man  was  sitting,  and  holding  it  towards  him,  said,  by 
way  of  apology  for  the  part  he  had  taken  in  the  little  scene, 
"  That  is  a  beautiful  article  for  a  gentleman  to  wear,  isn't  it  ?  " 
The  man  made  no  reply,  and  the  tailor  after  a  pause,  added,  "  I 
refused  to  pay  her  as  a  matter  of  principle.  She  knew  she  could 
not  make  the  garment,  when  she  took  it  away.  She  will  be 
more  careful  how  she  tries  to  impose  herself  upon  customer  tai- 
lors as  a  good  vest-maker." 

"  Perhaps^'  said  the  elderly  gentleman  in  a  mild  way,  "  neces- 
sity drove  her  to  undertake  a  job  that  required  greater  skill  than 
she  possessed.  She  certainly  looked  very  poor." 

"It  was  because  she  appeared  so  poor  and  miserable  that  I 
was  weak  enough  to  place  the  vest  in  her  hands,"  replied  Mr. 
Lawson,  in  a  less  severe  tone  of  voice.  "But  it  was  an  impo- 
sition for  her  to  ask  for  work  she  did  not  know  how  to  make." 


440  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


"  Mr.  Lawson,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  who  was  known  as  a 
pious  and  good  man,  "we  should  not  blame  with  too  much 
severity  the  person  who,  in  extreme  want,  undertakes  to  perform 
a  piece  of  work  for  which  she  lacks  the  skill.  The  fact  that  a 
young  girl,  like  the  one  who  was  just  here,  is  willing,  in  her  ex- 
treme poverty,  to  labor  instead  of  sinking  into  vice  and  idleness, 
shows  her  to  possess  true  virtue  and  integrity  of  character  ;  and 
that  we  should  be  willing  to  encourage,  even  at  some  sacrifice. 
Work  is  slack  now,  as  you  are  aware,  and  there  is  but  little 
doubt  that  she  had  been  to  many  places  seeking  employment 
before  she  came  to  you.  It  may  be  that  she  and  others  are 
dependent  upon  the  receipt  of  the  money  that  was  expected  to 
be  paid  for  the  making  of  the  vest  you  hold  in  your  hand.  The 
expression  as  she  turned  away,  her  lingering  steps,  her  drooping 
form,  and  her  whole  demeanor,  had  in  them  a  language  which 
told  me  all  this,  and  even  more." 

A  change  came  over  the  tailor's  countenance.  "I  didn't 
think  of  that,"  fell  in  a  low  tone  from  his  lips. 

"  I  did  not  think  you  did,  brother  Lawson,"  said  his  monitor  ; 
"  we  are  all  more  apt  to  think  of  ourselves  than  others.  The 
girl  promised  the  vest  this  evening,  and  so  far  as  that  was  con- 
cerned she  performed  her  contract.  Is  the  vest  made  very 
badly  ?  " 

Mr.  Lawson  took  up  the  garment  and  examined  it  more  closely 
"Well,  I  can't  say  that  it  is  badly  done.  But  it  is  dreadfully 
soiled  and  rnmpled  ;  and  it  is  not  as  neat  a  job  as  it  should  be 
nor  at  all  such  as  I  wished  it." 

"  Ah1  this  is  very  annoying,  of  course  ;  but  still,  we  should  be 
willing  to  make  some  excuse  for  the  shortcoming  of  others. 
The  poor  girl  may  have  a  sick  mother  or  sister  to  attend  to, 
which  constantly  interrupted  her,  and  under  such  circumstances, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  441 


you  could  hardly  wonder  if  the  garment  should  come  somewhat 
soiled  from  under  her  hands.  All  this  may  be  the  case  ;  and  if 
so,  you  could  not  find  it  in  your  heart  to  speak  unkindly  to  the 
poor  creature,  much  less  turn  her  away  angrily,  and  without  the 
money  she  had  toiled  for  so  earnestly." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that,"  was  murmured  in  a  low,  suppressed 
tone  of  voice. 

Ellen,  on  returning  home,  entered  the  room,  and  without 
uttering  a  word,  threw  herself  upon  the  bed  by  the  side  of  her 
sick  sister,  and  burying  her  face  in  a  pillow,  endeavored  to 
smother  the  sobs  that  came  up  convulsively  from  her  bosom. 

Mary  asked  no  questions.  She  understood  the  cause  of  Ellen's 
agitation.  It  told  her  that  she  had  been  disappointed  in  her 
expectation  of  receiving  the  money  for  the  work. 

Just  at  that  moment  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door,  but  no 
voice  bade  the  applicant  for  admission  enter.  It  was  repeated, 
but  it  met  with  no  response.  Then  the  latch  was  lifted,  the 
door  swung  open,  and  the  tailor  stepped  into  the  room. 

The  sound  of  feet  aroused  the  distressed  sisters,  and  Ellen 
raised  herself  up,  and  looked  at  Mr.  Lawson,  with  a  countenance 
suffused  with  tears. 

"  I  felt  that  I  did  wrong  in  speaking  to  you  in  the  way  that  I 
did,"  said  Mr.  Lawson,  advancing  towards  the  bed,  and  holding 
out  to  Ellen  the  money  she  had  earned.  "Here  is  the  price  of 
the  vest.  It  was  better  made  than  I  first  thought  it  was.  To- 
morrow I  will  send  you  more  work.  Try  to  cheer  up." 

Mr.  Lawson,  finding  that  his  presence  was  embarrassing, 
withdrew,  leaving  the  two  sisters  so  deeply  affected  that  they 
could  but  look  at  him  with  thankfulness.  Shortly  after  they 
received  a  basket,  in  which  was  a  supply  of  nourishing  food,  and 
a  sum  of  money  to  procure  such  articles  as  might  be  necessary 

19* 


442  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


for  the  sick  sister.  Though  no  one's  name  was  sent  with  it,  they 
were  not  in  any  doubt  as  to  the  individual  who  sent  it.  Mr. 
Lawson  was  not  an  unfeeling  man,  but  like  too  many  others  in 
the  world,  HE  DID  NOT  ALWAYS  THINK. 

262. 

LEISURE  may  be  a  very  pleasant  garment  to  look  at,  but  it  is 
a  very  bad  one  to  wear.  The  ruin  of  millions  may  be  traced  to 
it.  Who  of  our  readers  who  is  out  of  business  and  poor,  or 
troubled  in  some  other  respect,  will  not  agree  with  us  ?  How 
many,  with  too  much  leisure,  take  too  much  of  something  else, 
thus  making  gloom  deeper  and  misfortunes  more.  The  truth  is 
that  the  condition  of  man  is  at  the  best  but  a  lamentable  piece 
of  patchwork,  and  the  less  we  ponder  upon  it  the  less  we  are  in- 
clined to  the  blues.  Drink  will  never  drive  it  off.  If  we  rely 
on  drinking  solely,  the  sure  return  of  mental  activity  brings  horror 
back  increased.  Business  of  some  kind  that  will  employ  us  con- 
stantly is  the  better  remedy.  You  that  are  sick  of  the  rascalities 
of  men,  depressed  by  reverses,  discouraged  by  lack  of  sympathy, 
though  you  go  to  employment  like  a  child  to  an  emetic,  or  a 
horse  to  a  second  quid  of  tobacco,  persevere  in  labor,  and  you 
will  soon  be  more  cheerful,  life  will  be  less  of  a  trouble,  its  enjoy- 
ments keener,  and  thoughts  of  death  will  not  so  often  crowd- 
upon  the  brain.  Shun  leisure,  that  treacherous  abyss  whose 
brink  is  crowned  with  flowers.  Shun  all  that  may  tend  to  alienate 
your  inclinations  from  that  industry  which  is  -and  has  been  the 
doom  and  duty  of  all  men  since  Cain.  Shun  all  that  tends  to 
encrust  your  energies  with  the  rust  of  sloth,  for  sorrow  and  sloth 
are  the  handmaids  of  despair.  Better  toil  for  little  profit,  or 
die,  than  to  drag  on  that  miserable  existence  which  is  passed  in 
the  demoralizing  hours  of  a  desponding  leisure.  Look  to  it 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  443 


The  rich  indolent  finds  that  the  wheels  of  life  run  heavily,  slowly 
with  him  ;  but  the  sluggard  who  is  poor  has  nothing  to  console 
him.  The  rich  drone,  though  he  lives  to  no  purpose,  keeps 
wealth  between  him  and  the  wrongs  and  contempt  of  the  world  ; 
but  he  who  is  poor  and  idle  too,  may  well  account  himself  a 
wretch.  He  hath  need  of  the  intercession  of  all  good  angels  to 
keep  him  from  the  webs  of  vice,  the  tyranny  of  the  heartless, 
and  a  grave  of  frightful  associations. 

263. 

A  SHOEMAKER  of  Dublin  had  a  longing  desire  to  work  for 
Dean  Swift.  He  was  recommended  by  Mr.  James  Swing,  the 
banker,  and  Mr.  Sican,  a  merchant.  The  Dean  gave  him  an 
order  for  a  pair  of  boots,  adding,  "  When  shall  I  have  them  ?" 

"  On  Saturday  next,"  said  the  shoemaker. 

"  I  have  no  appointments,"  said  the  Dean,  "  nor  would  I  have 
you  disappoint  others  :  set  your  own  time,  and  keep  to  it." 

"  I  thank  your  reverence,"  said  Bamerick,  (for  that  was  his 
name  ;)  "I  desire  no  longer  than  Saturday  e'en,  when  you  will 
be  sure  to  have  them  without  fail." 

They  parted.  The  boots  were  finished  at  the  time  ;  but 
through  the  hurry  of  business,  Mr.  Bamerick  forgot  to  carry 
them  home  till  Monday  evening.  When  the  Dean  drew  the 
boots  on  and  found  them  to  his  mind,  he  said  : 

"  Mr.  Bamerick,  you  have  answered  to  the  commands  of 
your  friends,  but  you  have  disappointed  me,  for  I  was  to  have 
been  at  Sir  Arthur  Axhoson's,  in  the  county  of  Armagh,  on  this 
day." 

"Indeed,  and  indeed,  sir,"  said  Bamerick,  "the 'boots  were 
finished  at  the  time,  but  I  forgot  to  bring  them  home." 

The  Dean  gave  him  one  of  his  stern  looks  ;  and  after  a  pause 


444  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


asked  him  whether  he  understood  gardening  as  well  as  boot- 
making.     Bamerick  answered  : 

"No,  sir  ;  but  I  have  seen  some  very  fine  gardens  in  Eng- 
land." 

"  Come,"  said  the  Dean,  in  a  good-humored  tone,  "  I  will  show 
you  some  improvements  I  have  made  in  the  deanery  garden." 

They  walked  through  the  garden,  to  the  further  end,  when  the 
Dean  started  as  if  recollecting  something.  "I  must  step  in," 
said  he  ;  "  stay  here  till  I  come  back."  Then  he  ran  out  of  the 
garden,  locked  the  door,  and  put  the  key  in  his  pocket.  Bamerick 
walked  about  till  it  grew  dark,  and  not  seeing  the  Dean,  he  at 
last  ventured  to  follow  him,  but  found  the  door  locked.  He 
knocked  and  called  several  times  to  no  purpose ;  he  perceived 
himself  confined  between  high  walls,  the  night  dark  and  cold  in 
the  month  of  March.  However,  he  had  not  the  least  suspicion 
of  his  being  intentionally  confined. 

The  deanery  servants  went  to  bed  at  the  usual  hour,  and  the 
Dean  remained  in  his  study  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
He  then  went  into  the  hall  and  drew  the  charge  out  of  a  blun- 
derbus  and  other  fire-arms,  then  returned  and  rang  his  bell. 
He  was  immediately  attended  by  one  of  his  servants. 

"  Robert,"  said  he,  "  I  have  been  much  disturbed  with  a  noise 
in  the  garden  side  ;  I  fear  some  robbers  have  entered  ;  give  me 
a  lantern,  and  call  up  Saunders."  Then  the  Dean  took  the  lan- 
tern, and  stayed  by  the  arms  until  the  men  came.  "Arm  your- 
selves," said  he,  "  and  follow  me."  He  led  them  into  the  garden, 
where  the  light  soon  attracted  poor  Bamerick,  who  came  running 
up  to  them.  Upon  his  approach  the  Dean  roared  out,  "  There  is 
the  robber ;  shoot  him  ! "  Saunders  presented,  and  Bamerick, 
terrified  to  death,  fell  on  his  knees  and  begged  his  life.  The 
Dean  held  the  lantern  up  to  the  man's  face,  and  gravely  said  : 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  445 


"  Mercy  on  us  !  Mr.  Bamerick,  how  came  you  here  ? " 
"  Lord,  sir,"  said  Bamerick,  "  don't  you  remember  you  left  me 
here  last  evening?" 

"Ah,  friend,"  said  the  Dean,  "I  forgot  it  as  you  did  the 
boots  ; "  then  turning  round  to  Robert,  who  was  the  butler,  he 
said,  "  Give  the  man  some  warm  wine  and  see  him  safe  home." 

264. 

ABOUT  ten  years  ago  there  was  a  little  newsboy — very  little 
for  his  age,  which  was  fourteen  years,  who  sold  papers  at 
the  corner  now  occupied  by  the  Tribune  building  and  its  ad- 
juncts. The  boy,  owing  to  his  cheerful  countenance,  his  prover- 
bial integrity,  his  industry — in  brief,  his  good  qualities  generally, 
(and  very  good  qualities  are  rarely  found  among  the  peripatetic 
venders  of  the  dailies  and  weeklies,)  manufactured  friends  for 
himself  everywhere,  and  particularly  among  publishers.  He  did 
a  very  good  business  as  a  newsboy,  but  his  position  did  not  suit 
him,  as  he  one  day  confidentially  informed  us,  and  he  was  deter- 
mined to  abandon  it. 

"  That  you  can  easily  do,"  said  we.     "  Go  into  a  store." 

"  I  can  neither  read  nor  write,"  responded  he,  mournfully. 

"  Apprentice  yourself  to  some  trade,  then,"  was  our  advice. 

"  I  think  I  will,"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  brightening  eye  and  a 
flushed  cheek  ;  "I  think  I  will,"  and  off  he  bounded. 

We  lost  sight  of  him  a  short  time  after  this  conference  was 
held,  and  finally  forgot  that  such  a  being  existed. 

About  a  week  ago,  an  athletic,  well-dressed  young  man,  with 
a  ferocious — a  regular  brigandish  pair  of  whiskers,  and  a  brace 
of  merry,  twinkling  optics,  that  betokened  a  good  heart  and  the 
best  of  health,  stopped  us  in  the  street,  and,  extending  his  hand, 
called  us  by  name. 


446  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


Not  recognizing  him,  we  had  recourse  to  the  phrase  of 
"  Really,  sir,  you  have  the  advantage  of  me." 

"  Not  know ,  the  little  newsboy  ! "  he  cried,  astonished. 

Truly,  it  was  our  little  newsboy.  He  had  taken  our  early 
advice,  and  apprenticed  himself  to  a  machinist. 

"  Where  are  you  working  ?  "  we  inquired. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  work  now,"  was  his  proud  answer.  "  I  own  a 
saw-mill  on  Long  Island,  and  am  now  doing  business  for  myself. 
I  have  been  my  own  boss  a  year  now.  I  bought  the  concern 
with  the  savings  of  eight  years.  I  have  a  wife  and  two  children, 
and  my  own  cottage-house  and  garden  for  them  to  live  and  delve 
in,  and  am  as  happy  as  the  day  is  long.  I  can  read  and  write, 
too,"  he  continued,  smilingly,  but  with  an  air  of  triumph. 

That  man  will  be  somebody  besides  a  boss  yet.  If  we  dared 
to  tell  his  name,  hundreds  would  at  once  hail  with  rapture  the 
news  of  the  good  fortune  of  their  persevering  little  friend,  who 
once  supplied  them  with  the  Sun  and  Herald  every  morning. 

Perseverance — it  is  the  grand  lever  by  which  the  most  astound- 
ing results  may  be  accomplished.  George  Borrow,  the  author  of 
"  Lavengro,"  says  :  "  Perseverance,  and  a  determination  to  con- 
quer all  difficulties,  will  invariably  make  a  man  of  the  veriest  dolt." 

Do  you  hear  that,  boys  ?  No  matter  how  poor  or  how  ig- 
norant you  may  be,  perseverance,  conjoined  with  virtue,  will 
gain  you  both  wealth  and  education. 

265. 

THE  life  of  a  man  of  business  gives  his  character  a  pretty  hard 
trial.  Not  only  does  it  exercise  his  sagacity  and  prudence,  but 
it  puts  his  integrity  to  the  severest  test.  He  is  surrounded  by 
the  selfishness  of  trade  ;  he  sees  men  profit  by  cunning  and 
fraud,  and  he  is  tempted  to  try  his  skill  in  artifice  and  deception. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  447 


Every  day  his  honesty  is  tried  in  some  way.  He  is  thrown  back 
npou  his  inward  principle,  and  if  his  heart  is  hollow  and  deceit- 
ful, he  will  be  sure  to  show  it.  And  that  man  has  reason  to 
thank  God  who  has  gone  through  a  long  course  of  business, 
through  times  of  wild  speculation  and  general  bankruptcy,  and 
goes  down  to  the  grave  with  the  never  shaken  consciousness  of 
being  an  honest  man.  He  who  can  see  others  making  money  by 
false  representations,  and  never  stoop  to  these  tricks  of  trade,  is 
fitting  his  own  pure  mind"  for  a  world  that  is  more  worthy  of 
him. 

And  yet  a  man  cannot  wholly  escape  these  temptations.  To 
do  that,  he  must  needs  go  out  of  the  world,  or  retire  into  soli- 
tude. He  might,  indeed,  avoid  all  danger,  by  shutting  himself 
within  the  walls  of  a  convent,  to  pass  a  life  of  outward  sanctity 
and  lazy  contemplation.  But  the  piety  that  is  nursed  in  clois- 
ters is  of  a  sickly  growth,  compared  with  that  which  maintains 
its  integrity  amid  strong  inducements  to  evil.  It  is  not  the 
will  of  God  that  we  should  retire  apart  to  keep  from  contamina- 
tion. Not  in  deserts,  but  in  cities  ;  not  in  the  hermit's  cell,  but 
among  men,  sharing  the  common  lot,  meeting  temptation  as  it 
comes,  are  we  to  form  our  characters  for  eternity.  Men  ought 
to  rejoice  in  a  rigid  discipline.  Whenever  assailed  by  tempta- 
tion, an  opportunity  is  given  to  conquer  themselves,  and  so  to 
become  nobler  beings. 

The  most  heroic  virtues  of  the  human  character  are  brought 
out  in  the  struggle  with  inborn  selfishness,  and  with  the  cowardly 
examples  of  the  world.  Men  of  brave  hearts  ought  to  welcome 
the  conflicts  and  buffetings  of  life.  Every  victory  they  gain  will 
make  them  stronger,  as  the  tempest,  which  rocks  and  tears  the 
mountain  oak,  causes  it  to  strike  its  roots  down  deeper  in  the 
earth,  and  to  lift  higher  its  majestic  arms  toward  heaven. 


448  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


266. 

ONE  morning  at  breakfast,  Mr.  Howard  said  to  his  children, 
"  Now,  I  should  like  you  to  tell  me,  how  many  nations  have 
contributed  to  our  breakfast  table,  and  then  you  will  see  what  a 
great  blessing  Commerce  has  been  to  the  world.  Try  if  you  can- 
not find  something  from  all  the  quarters  of  the  globe  to  begin 
with?" 
:  "  Asia! "  shouted  Arthur ;  "  there  is  tea  from  China." 

"Africa!"  exclaimed  Edith;  "there  are  the  ivory  handles 
from  Africa." 

"America!"  said  George;  "there's  the  mahogany  of  the 
table  from  America." 

And  for  Europe  they  had  twenty  things  to  speak  about. 

"Now,  see  if  you  cannot  go  another  round  ;  and  you,  Edith, 
for  Africa  first." 

"  The  gold  with  which  the  sugar  basin  is  lined." 

"That  may  be,  for  gold,  in  greater  or  less  quantities,  is  the 
produce  of  all  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe.  But  for  Asia, 
Arthur  ?  " 

"  Coffee — is  it  not  Mocha  coffee,  mamma?  And  then  there 
are  the  table  'mats,  which  came,  you  know,  from  Calcutta." 

"Are  the  napkins  of  cotton,  mamma? — for  that  comes  from 
America  ? "  "  No !  George,  but  of  linen,  which  is  made  of 
flax.  Do  you  know  where  the  finest  flax  comes  from ?"  "Is 
it  not  from  the  Netherlands  ?  "  "  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Howard  ; 
"but  you  have  not  made  your  American  discovery,  George." 

"  The  tea  urn — is  not  copper  an  American  product  ?"  "  Yes! 
but  it  is  more  likely  that  this  copper  was  furnished  by  English 
mines,"  was  his  father's  answer. 

"  Oh,  papa  !  I  see  America  in  the  scarlet  of  the  urn-rug — it 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  449 


must  have  been  dyed  with  cochineal."  "  Perhaps  with  lac-lake, 
boy,  which  is  an  Asiatic  production,  and  which  has  nearly  super- 
seded the  use  of  cochineal.  However,  you  have  answered 
well." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  on  with  the  conversation.  One  after 
another  the  origin  and  adventures  of  the  different  articles  on 
the  table  were  traced.  One  topic  led  to  another,  and  Mr. 
Howard  talked  to  his  children  of  the  effects  of  commerce,  as  a 
means  of  making  people  better  and  happier. 

"  Every  one  who  makes  an  exchange,"  said  Mr.  Howard,  "  if 
he  acts  wisely,  obtains  something  of  greater  value  than  that 
which  he  gives  ;  and  this  is  the  case  with  both  parties — each 
supplies  some  want  or  some  desire  of  the  other.  Thus,  the  two 
virtues  of  prudence  and  benevolence  are  exercised — prudence, 
inasmuch  as  an  addition  is  made  to  your  own  enjoyment — benev- 
olence, inasmuch  as  an  addition  is  made  to  the  enjoyment  of 
others.  And  the  infinite  variety  of  production  with  which  the 
world  is  covered,  the  boundless  differences  of  climate  and  soil, 
and  national  habits  and  education,  give  to  every  part  of  the 
earth  some  means  of  exchange  with  others,  the  exchange  being 
a  mutual  benefit.  Some  lands  have  their  riches  on  the  surface, 
others  buried  deep  below.  In  some,  agriculture  is  the  great 
source  of  wealth — in  others,  manufactures  ;  in  some,  mines — in 
others,  navigation.  Out  of  their  peculiar  facilities,  commercial 
relations  grow.  They  are  infinitely  happier,  infinitely  wealthier 
by  their  intercourse  than  they  could  possibly  be  by  being  iso- 
lated and  separated.  The  notion  of  every  nation  being  sufficient 
to  itself  is  as  foolish  and  far  more  mischievous  than  the  notion 
that  every  individual  should  be  sufficient  to  himself.  It  is  but 
selfishness  on  a  large  scale,  calling  itself  by  some  name  as  false  as 
fine — '  patriotism/  for  instance,  or  '  national  independence.'  The 


450  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


dependence  of  nations  upon  one  another  affords  the  true  security 
for  peace  and  common  prosperity.  As  a  wisely  calculating  self- 
interest  would  add  necessarily  to  the  well-being  of  others,  if  it 
were  only  because  their  well-being  would  increase  our  own,  so  a 
wise  and  generous  patriotism  would  see  in  the  strength,  wealth, 
felicity,  and  industry  of  another  nation  a  reason  of  confidence, 
and  a  subject  of  rejoicing.  It  is  the  destiny  of  commerce  to 
undo  what  hatred  and  war  have  done.  Out  of  the  very  selfish- 
ness of  man  it  will  extract  benevolence.  It  will  make  national- 
ity itself  subservient  to  philanthropy.  I  know  no  profession 
more  honorable  than  that  of  the  instructed  merchant — his  his- 
tory is  the  history  of  contributions  to  human  pleasures.  He 
brings  nations  into  contact  which  are  placed  by  nature  far 
apart.  He  brings  to  the  frozen  north  the  productions  of  the 
burning  tropics,  and  makes  the  whole  world  contribute  to  the 
daily  happiness  of  every  home.  He  has  given  to  the  meanest 
enjoyments  formerly  denied  to  the  mightiest,  and  the  portions 
of  the  world  are  small  and  few  which  have  not  been  benefited 
by  the  foreign  trader.  Into  the  obscurest  villages  of  Europe, 
Asia,  and  America,  commerce  has  penetrated,  accompanied  by 
its  novelties  and  its  attractions  ;  and  in  the  very  heart  of  Africa, 
at  the  court  of  one  of  the  petty  princes  of  the  country,  a  French 
traveler  informed  me  that  he  himself  had  seen  very  considera- 
ble quantities  of  European  manufacture,  and  had  been  able  to 
clothe  himself  as  he  would  have  done  in  London  or  Paris.  The 
desire  of  gain,  in  itself  a  laudable  and  even  a  virtuous  feeling, 
when  controlled  by  prudence  and  kindness,  is  thus  by  commerce 
made  subservient  to  the  happiness  of  man.  But  this  leads  me 
to  tell  you  the  history  of  a  little  boy,  who  became  a  great  mer- 
chant. 

"Tom  Traffic  was  the  most  active  lad  of  the  small  town  in 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  451 


which  he  was  born.  When  sent  on  an  errand  nobody  ran  so 
fast  as  he';  nobody  rose  earlier  in  the  morning  ;  nobody  washed 
and  dressed  more  expeditiously ;  nobody  was  more  regular  at 
school,  more  sharp  at  his  lessons,  or  more  ready  and  active  at 
play.  Everybody  liked  Tom,  who  was  brisk  as  a  bee,  and 
playful  as  a  grasshoper ;  his  whistle  was  well  known  in  the 
streets,  and  his  hands  were  always  ready  to  do  service  to 
others. 

"  Tom  was  the  only  child  of  an  aged  mariner — a  pensioner — 
whose  pittance  just  enabled  himself  to  live  in  decency;  and  Tom 
was  the  son  of  his  old  age  ;  for  he  had  married  at  the  end  of  a 
long  service,  and  the  boy  was  born  to  him  when  he  had  passed 
sixty  years.  You  may  believe  he  was  proud  and  fond  of  Tom, 
which,  indeed,  he  was  ;  and  having  little  else  to  do,  his  time  was 
almost  wholly  devoted  to  the  boy.  He  rocked  him  in  his  cradle, 
whether  he  lay  down  at  morning,  noon,  or  night ;  earned  him 
about  in  his  arms  almost  wherever  he  went.  As  soon  as  the 
boy  ran  alone,  the  old  mariner  seemed  to  grow  young  again,  so 
did  he  share  in  all  the  boy's  sports  and  pleasure.  He  taught 
him  to  play  at  marbles,  to  trundle  a  hoop,  to  '  follow  my  leader  : ' 
in  a  word,  the  father  was  the  son's  playfellow,  and  they  were  a 
very  happy  pair. 

"  The  first  time  Tom  had  ever  known  real  sorrow  was  when  his 
mother  died.  He  was  then  six  years  old  ;  and  her  death  was 
the  last  real  sorrow  that  the  old  mariner  knew.  Tom's  mother 
had  always  been  an  affectionate  mother,  and  did  not  like  her  hus- 
band the  less  for  all  the  care  and  attention  he  bestowed  on  their 
only  son.  She  told  him  often  that  he  would  spoil  the  boy,  but 
said  so  between  jest  and  earnest.  But  the  old  mariner's  indul- 
gences were  not  of  a  sort  to  do  Tom  any  harm.  On  her  death- 
bed, however,  she  said  to  her  husband,  'You  will  always  be 


452  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


kind  to  Tom  ! '  and  to  Tom  the  said,  '  You  will  always  be  kind 
to  your  father  ! '  She  did  not  speak  to  either  as  if  she  doubted  ; 
or  as  if  she  meant  to  give  them  lessons  which  really  they  did  not 
need  ;  but  she  spoke  as  if  foretelling  that  they  would  be  kind  to 
each  other. 

"  The  living  and  the  dying  of  the  poor  is  for  the  most  part 
a  short  and  simple  history.  Duties  to  the  poor  as  to  others 
come  daily  to  be  done,  and  are  as  honorable  to  the  poor  who  do 
them,  as  the  more  influential  virtues  of  the  opulent  are  honorable 
to  the  opulent.  Through  the  years  in  which  Tom's  mother  had 
managed  her  little  household,  she  had  managed  it  well  and  pru- 
dently ;  and  when  death  removed  her  from  her  husband  and  her 
child,  many  there  were  to  praise  and  none  to  blame  her.  And 
no  one  can  aspire  to  a  higher  privilege  among  survivors  than 
this — to  be  thought  of  with  nothing  but  affection. 

"There  was  some  danger,  indeed,  that  the  death  of  his 
mother  might  have  a  baneful  influence  upon  Tom,  in  whom  all 
his  father's  cares  and  thoughts  were  now  centered,  and  who  was 
little  disposed  to  check  any  of  his  son's  impulses,  But  Tom  had 
been  gifted  by  nature  with  a  happy  temper,  and  he  did  not  give 
way  to  unavailing  grief :  such  grief  would  not  have  brought  back 
his  mother,  and  have  only  distressed  his  father  ;  so  the  tears  he  shed 
were  soon  dried — not  that  he  forgot  his  mother — not  that  he 
failed  to  think  of  her,  and  remember  her  kindness  to  him,  and 
her  affection  for  him  ;  but  he  thought  that  she  herself  would 
not  have  wished  him  to  be  less  busy,  less  useful  than  before. 
So  he  indulged  himself  in  the  habit  of  talking  about  his  mother  ; 
and,  though  at  first  the  subject  was  painful,  it  became,  by  and 
by,  the  sweetest  of  all  subjects  to  him  and  his  father  ;  and,  by 
frequently  conversing,  his  memory  became  impressed  with  a 
thousand  little  circumstances,  that  he  would  otherwise  have 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  453 


forgotten,  and  the  recollection  was  a  delight  to  him  through  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

"  One  day  the  old  mariner  said  to  Tom,  '  I  am  unusually  out 
of  spirits.  I  have  been  thinking,  my  boy,  of  what  your  future 
fate  may  be,  and  that  it  is  time  for  you  to  be  thinking  about  it 
too,  for  I  am  growing  old,  and  fear  I  shall  not  last  long  ;  and  I 
shall  not  die  in  peace,  unless  I  know  that  you  have  some  business 
and  some  prospects  in  life.' 

"Now,  Tom  had  himself  often  thought  of  this,  for  he  was 
nearly  twelve  years  old,  but  did  not  like  to  speak  to  his  father, 
lest  he  should  give  him  pain,  by  appearing  desirous  of  leaving 
one  he  loved  so  well ;  but  as  his  father  now  mentioned  the  mat- 
ter, Tom  said,  '  Father,  I  am  glad  you  have  spoken  of  this.  If 
I  knew  your  wishes,  perhaps  I  might  be  doing  something  to  fit 
myself  for  some  honest  trade.' 

"  The  old  man  hoped  that  Tom  would  nave  hinted  at  some 
line  of  life  that  he  preferred  ;  and  Tom  wished  that  his  father 
should  speak  out.  Their  thoughts  and  wishes  were  indeed  the 
same  ;  but  each  feared  to  suggest  what  might  be  unaccept- 
able to  the  other.  '  When  you  were  at  sea,'  said  Tom,  '  did  you 
ever  carry  on  any  trade  with  the  natives  of  foreign  countries  ? 
The  inquiry  showed  the  bent  of  Tom's  mind  ;  and  the  old  mari- 
ner answered,  'Oh  yes,  my  boy,  and  have  turned  many  an 
honest  penny  in  that  way.  Should  you  like  to  go  to  sea,  Tom  ? ' 
'  Indeed  should  I,  if  I  could  establish  a  little  business  with  the 
natives  of  distant  countries.' 

"  After  this  the  subject  was  often  talked  of,  and  the  old  man 
told  Tom  how  barter  was  conducted  with  people  of  various 
lands.  He  taught  him,  too,  all  he  knew  of  the  art  of  naviga- 
tion ;  explained  to  him,  as  far  as  he  was  able,  the  trade  winds, 
and  the  ocean  currents,  and  the  equinoctial  gales.  He  loved  to 


454  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


recount  the  dangers  he  had  seen  and  the  risks  he  had  run  ;  ho 
spoke  of  the  different  moneys  used  in  different  countries,  and 
taught  Tom  many  a  foreign  word  which  he  had  picked  up  when 
abroad.  Tom  listened  with  great  attention,  and  stored  in  his 
mind  every  thing  that  was  likely  to  be  useful ;  and  his  father's 
conversation  became  more  and  more  interesting,  as  it  became 
more  and  more  instructive.  Sometimes,  indeed,  the  old  man 
felt  that  by  these  conversations  he  was  preparing  Tom  for  his 
early  departure  ;  and  even  when  Tom  was  most  excited  by  an 
account  of  the  way  in  which,  when  a  young  sailor,  he  had  ex- 
changed with  a  naked  negro  a  string  of  beads  for  a  noisy  par- 
rot, the  old  man  suddenly  stopped ;  he  thought  of  dangerous 
climates,  and  the  shipmates  he  had  buried  on  the  African  coast — 
he  stopped  suddenly,  and  told  Tom  that  he  would  end  the  story 
some  other  day. 

"A  short  time  after  this,  while  Tom  was  reading  to  his 
father  from  the  Bible,  as  he  was  used  to  do,  the  old  man's 
face  grew  pale,  and  he  fell  back  in  his  chair.  Tom  fanned 
his  cheeks  with  the  book  he  held  in  his  hands  ;  and,  after  a 
few  minutes,  his  father  was  able  to  say,  faintly  and  feebly, 
'  To  bed,  Tom  !  to  bed  ! '  Tom  helped  him  in,  ran  to  the 
neighbors  for  help,  but  soon  perceived,  by  their  countenances, 
that  matters  were  in  a  sad  way.  And  so  indeed  they  were. 
The  old  mariner  became  speechless.  Once  he  stretched  his  hand 
to  Tom  ;  Tom  seized  it  and  kissed  it.  In  a  few  hours  the  mari- 
ner was  dead  ;  in  a  few  days  his  body  was  laid  in  the  church- 
yard by  the  side  of  his  wife,  and  a  small  white  grave-stone  was 
raised  over  it,  on  which  Tom  had  engraved,  with  his  own  hands, 
the  initials  of  his  father's  and  his  mother's  name. 

"  Tom  had  many  friends  :  they  came  and  offered  their  ser- 
vices, and  would  have  kept  him  among  them,  but  Tom's  thoughts 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  455 


were  wandering  through  the  wide  world.  The  neighbors 
bought  the  little  furniture  at  its  value,  for  Torn  had  told  them 
he  had  determined  to  seek  his  fortune  afar  off.  About  eight  or 
nine  pounds  he  received  for  the  small  possessions  of  his  parents. 
He  said  to  himself,  '  I  hope  the  people  will  not  forget  me,  if  I 
should  come  back  again  ;  I  have  nothing  now  left  me  to  care 
for.  The  wind  may  blow  from  what  quarter  it  will,  all  ports 
are  alike  to  me.'  Tom  paid  one  visit  to  his  parents'  grave  ;  it 
was  then  he  took  leave  of  the  place  of  his  birth. 

"He  went  to  Liverpool,  and  lost  no  time  in  inquiring  out  a 
respectable  ship-broker,  to  whom  he  told  his  short  but  simple 
story.  It  was  his  good  luck  to  fall  in  with  a  kind-hearted  and 
clever  man,  who  said  he  would  give  him  a  berth  on  a  vessel 
bound  for  the  coast  of  Africa.  Tom  remembered  how  suddenly 
his  father  had  stopped  when  telling  him  of  his  own  African  ad- 
ventures ;  but  Tom  was  not  superstitious  :  the  climate,  he  said, 
he  did  not  fear.  The  bargain  was  made.  Tom  felt  as  if  his 
life  and  history  were  now  begun ;  and,  as  the  kind  ship-broker 
had  offered  to  assist  him  in  investing  his  little  capital,  Tom 
fancied  himself  the  luckiest,  as  he  was  then  one  of  the  proudest 
of  mortals. 

"  On  the  voyage  Tom  obtained  the  good  opinion  of  the  cap- 
tain, and  the  confidence  of  all  the  crew.  The  adventure  was 
successful,  and  when  he  arrived  in  England,  he  had  doubled  his 
wealth.  He  had  got  experience,  too  ;  and,  as  the  vessel  was  to 
return  to  Africa,  Tom's  observations  were  of  great  value  to  the 
ship-broker,  and  to  the  owners,  to  whom  the  captain  had  report- 
ed the  cleverness  and  activity  of  young  Tom. 

"  Tom  remained  on  board  the  vessel  during  three  voyages. 
He  was  now  nearly  nineteen  years  old,  and  his  fortune  was 
accumulated  to  somewhat  more  than  £160.  A  favorite  with 


456  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


everybody,  because  willing  to  be  a  friend  to  everybody,  there  was 
nobody  on  board  whose  good  fortune  was  witnessed  with  so 
much  pleasure.  On  returning  from  the  third  voyage,  the  cap- 
tain told  Tom  that  the  owner  had  been  talking  of  him,  that  he 
desired  to  see  him,  and  he  believed  would  make  to  him  an  agree- 
able communication.  Tom  went — it  was  at  the  time  when  the 
supplies  of  timber  were  checked  by  the  war — and  the  merchant, 
after  many  inquiries  about  Tom's  success,  reminded  him  that  he 
had  once  spoken  of  the  vast  forests  on  the  shores  of  the  African 
rivers,  and  expressed  an  opinion  that  the  negroes  might  be  in- 
duced to  fell  the  trees  and  barter  them  with  Europeans.  '  The 
idea  has  often  occurred  again  to  my  mind/  said  the  merchant, 
'  and  if  you  still  think  so,  we  will  make  the  experiment ;  we  will 
find  ships  and  capital,  and  you  shall  have  an  interest  in  it.'  In 
truth  it  was  a  favorite  project  of  Tom's  ;  he  was  delighted  to 
see  it  adopted,  and  soon  after  a  vessel  was  fitted  out,  of  which 
Tom  had  the  charge. 

"  He  sailed  for  Africa ;  and  I  have  often  heard  Tom  describe 
the  toil  and  trouble  which  it  cost  him  to  teach  the  Africans  how 
best  to  fell  and  saw  the  trees,  and  bring  them  to  the  river's 
edge.  But  Tom  succeeded,  and  the  speculation  succeeded.  At 
first  only  a  few  straggling  blacks  came  to  cut  down  the  forest 
trees  ;  but,  as  they  were  liberally  recompensed,  they  afterwards 
came  in  great  numbers,  and  built  their  huts  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  place  where  Tom  fixed  his  own  habitation,  and  where  he 
dwelt  for  many  years.  The  trade  became  a  very  large  one,  and 
Tom  dwelt  like  a  prince,  surrounded  by  his  subjects.  He  taught 
them  many  arts,  and  reclaimed  them  from  many  barbarous  and 
savage  habits.  He  administered  justice  among  them,  settled 
their  misunderstandings,  and,  though  so  young,  was  always 
called  by  them  their  father. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  457 


"  Six  years  Tom  lived  in  Africa.  He  had  become  wealthy, 
and  the  desire  to  visit  his  native  country  grew  stronger  and 
stronger.  He  fancied,  too,  that  he  was  beginning  to  feel  the 
effects  of  the  climate ;  so,  having  made  arrangements  for  sup- 
plying his  place,  he  returned  to  England,  and  visited  the  spot 
where  he  had  seen  his  father  and  mother  buried.  He  ordered 
the  grave  to  be  surrounded  by  iron  railings,  and  a  stone  to  be 
erected  to  the  memory  of  his  parents,  with  their  names  and 
ages  at  length  ;  but  he  would  not  allow  the  stone  to  be  removed 
on  which  he  himself  had  cut  the  first  letters  of  their  names. 

"  It  is  the  beginning  of  a  successful  career  that  is  most  diffi- 
cult, not  its  progress.  Mr.  Thomas  Traffic  is  still  living,  a  rich 
and  honorable  merchant  and  magistrate.  He  has  not  forgotten, 
nor  is  he  likely  to  forget,  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  poor  old 
mariner.  He  often  speaks  of  it,  not  for  the  purpose  of  pride 
and  parade,  but  for  the  encouragement  of  others,  and  the  young 
especially,  showing  them  that  they  must  learn  to  conquer  diffi- 
culty, and  that  those  who  endeavor  to  gain  the  good  opinion  and 
confidence  of  others,  seldom  fail  to  obtain  them." 

267. 

• 

KIND  words  cost  but  little.  Any  one  but  a  confirmed  cynic 
ought  to  be  able  to  dispense  them  at  pleasure.  They  make  no- 
body the  poorer.  Like  the  widow's  cruse,  the  stock  need  not 
be  exhausted  even  by  constant  using — yea,  better  than  the 
widow's  cruse,  the  stock  increases  the  more  it  is  drawn  from  the 
fountain.  A  kind  heart,  which  is  the  only  true  source  of  kind 
words,  is  a  perennial  stream.  NX)  winter's  cold  can  freeze  it,  no 
summer's  drouth  can  dry  it  up.  Through  all  seasons  it  pours 
out  its  life-giving  flood,  making  glad  and  green  whatever  it 
touches,  gurgling  and  eddying  round  with  inward  joy,  because  of 

20 


458  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


its  offices  of  love.  One  would  think  that  kind  words,  diffusing 
gladness,  as  they  do,  through  the  hearts  of  both  donors  and  re- 
ceivers, would  be  the  common  currency  in  life's  intercourse. 
Even  the  employer,  who  has  hundreds  at  his  beck  and  call, 
might  afford  to  lay  aside  his  oriental  majesty,  sufficient  to  speak 
to  his  underlings  a  word  of  recognition  ;  journeymen  and  ap- 
prentices would  not  render  themselves  menials  and  abjects  by 
putting  off  their  reserved-rights  attitude,  so  as  to  speak  to  their 
employer  with  deference  and  respect ;  clerks  and  salesmen  need 
not  consider  dumb  solemnity  or  waspish  rudeness  essential  to  their 
calling  ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  their  high  mightinesses,  steam- 
boat and  hotel  clerks,  and  railroad  conductors,  might,  perhaps, 
occasionally,  without  too  much  condescension,  afford  to  give  a 
civil  answer.  We  are  a  great  people  in  this  country,  certainly. 
Every  body  is  so  oppressed  with  a  consciousness  of  his  inherent 
dignity,  that  he  fears  to  compromise  it  by  the  exercise  of  com- 
mon courtesy. 

"A  little  word  in  kindness  spoken, 

A  motion,  or  a  tear, 
Has  often  healed  the  heart  that's  broken, 

And  made  a  friend  sincere." 

• 

268. 

Will  Ymimg  Bullion  ever  be  Rick  ? — It  has  become  very  much 
the  fashion,  now-a-days,  to  say,  "  Oh,  young  Bullion  will  be 
rich  when  his  father  dies  ;"  and  to  understand  thereby  that 
young  Bullion  is  sure  to  be  rich  one  of  these  days. 

But  the  proverb  concerning  a  "  slip  between  the  cup  and  the 
lip  "  holds  good  in  this  case  as  in  all  others,  and  young  Bullion 
may  die  before  old  Bullion  does,  in  which  case  he  would  never 
become  rich — in  this  world's  goods,  at  any  rate.  Nor  is  his 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   1CEN   OF   BDSINESS.  459 


chance  of  living  so  much  greater  than  the  governor's  (as  he 
terms  him)  as  may  be  at  the  first  glance  imagined. 

Suppose  old  Bullion  to  be  fifty-five  years  of  age,  young  Bul- 
lion twenty-five.  Old  Bullion  is  a  bank  director — young  Bullion 
is  "one  of  the  b'hoys ;"  old  Bullion  turns  in  every  night  at  ten 
— young  Bullion  is  "  on  a  time"  till  4  A.  M.  Balance  of  health 
is  in  favor  of  old  Bullion. 

Old  Bullion  takes  a  glass  of  brandy  and  water,  and  don't 
eat  any  thing  going  to  bed — young  Bullion  devours  oysters, 
woodcock,  broiled  chicken,  at  horribly  indigestible  hours,  and 
drinks  champagne,  champagne  brandy,  and  Scotch  ale,  till  he 
blesses  the  man  that  invented  soda  water,  when  he  wakes  up 
next  morning.  Balance  of  health  in  favor  of  old  Bullion  again. 

Old  Bullion  goes  down  to  the  bank  in  an  omnibus  about  10 
A.  M.  About  the  same  time  young  Bullion  is  going  it  with  a 
fast  horse  to  "  the  great  race,"  incurring  the  danger  of  being 
run  over,  of  being  run  away  with,  or  of  running  over  somebody 
else  and  getting  spilt.  Balance  of  safety  in  favor  of  old  Bul- 
lion. 

You  don't  find  old  Bullion  promenading  very  often — the  gout 
won't  allow  it ;  young  Bullion  is  all  the  time  on  a  tramp,  over 
sidewalks  under  which  are  steam  engines,  across  streets  where 
runnings  over  are  frequent.  Old  Bullion  don't  go  traveling — 
young  Bullion  is  on  the  move  all  summer ;  and  the  steamboat 
blowings  up  and  railroad  collisions  are  frequent  now-a-days. 
Balance  of  safety  still  in  favor  of  old  Bullion. 

Old  Bullion  is  never  out  after  dark — young  Bullion,  like  cats, 
travels  principally  at  night,  and  stands  a  very  fair  chance,  in  the 
present  state  of  society,  of  having  his  head  and  a  slung  shot  ac- 
quainted some  dark  night. 

Old  Bullion  has  against  him  thirty  years  and  the  gout — young 


460  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


Bullion  has  the  risk  of  late  hours,  champagne  suppers,  fast 
horses,  "pistols  and  coffee  for  two,"  street-crossings,  boiler-burst- 
ings, railroad  smash-ups,  and  fractured  craniums. 

So  the  chances,  you  see,  are  not  so  very  much  in  young  Bul- 
lion's favor,  after  all. 

269. 

INTEGRITY  of  character  and  truth  in  the  inner  man  are  the  pre- 
requisites for  success  in  any  calling,  and  especially  so  in  that  of 
the  merchant.  These  are  attributes  of  the  man  which  never 
fail  to  command  respect  and  win  admiration.  No  one  fails  to 
appreciate  them  ;  and  if  they  "do  not  pay,"  in  the  vulgar  sense 
of  this  phrase,  they  bring  an  amount  of  satisfaction  and  peace 
to  the  owner,  that  all  the  wealth  of  Croesus  could  not  yield. 
There  is  no  better  stock  in  trade  than  these  commodities  ;  no 
capital  goes  so  far,  or  pays  so  well,  or  is  so  exempt  from  bank- 
ruptcy and  loss.  When  known,  it  gives  credit  and  confidence, 
and  in  the  hardest  of  times  will  honor  your  paper  in  bank.  It 
gives  you  an  unlimited  capital  to  do  business  on,  and  every  body 
will  endorse  your  paper,  and  the  general  faith  of  mankind  will 
be  your  guaranty  that  you  will  not  fail.  Let  every  young  man 
in  commencing  business  look  well  to  these  indispensable  elements 
of  success,  and  guard  and  defend  them  as  he  would  the  apple 
of  his  eye.  If  inattentive  and  reckless  here,  he  will  imperil 
every  thing.  Bankruptcy  in  character  is  seldom  repaired  in  an 
ordinary  lifetime.  A  man  may  suffer  in  reputation  and  recover — 
not  so  the  man  who  suffers  in  character.  Be  just  and  truthful. 
Let  these  be  the  ruling  and  predominating  principles  of  your 
life,  and  the  rewards  will  be  certain,  either  in  the  happiness  they 
bring  to  your  own  bosom,  or  the  success  which  will  attend  upon 
all  your  business  operations  in  life — or  both. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  461 


270. 

Getting  along  Slowly. — Such  is  the  answer  frequently  given 
to  inquiries  respecting  the  worldly  prosperity  of  our  friends. 
"  How  are  you  getting  along  ?  "  "  Well,  I  don't  know— getting 
along  slowly ! "  This  question  and  the  answer  may  be  set  down 
as  among  the  most  familar  phrases,  asked  and  answered,  over 
and  over  again,  just  as  unthinkingly  and  unmeaningly  as  the 
salutations  given  in  passing,  "  Good  day — How  d'ye  do  ?" 

But  without  stopping  to  quarrel  with  custom,  we  will  suppose 
that  the  answer  is  made,  as  in  many  cases  it  may  be,  in  all 
soberness  and  truth,  and  see  if  we  cannot  draw  from  it  some 
lessons  of  practical  utility.  "  Getting  along  slowly."  This  is 
generally  spoken,  whenever  earnestly  uttered,  in  a  regretful, 
fault-finding  tone,  and  yet  contains  an  admission  for  which  the 
individual  should  feel  grateful.  It  is  something,  yea,  it  is  a 
great  thing — it  is  decidedly  a  meritorious  achievement  to  be  get- 
ting along  at  all  in  this  busy,  crowding,  selfish  world  of  trade. 
Do  you  say,  reader,  that  you  are  getting  along  slowly  1  Then, 
you  have  much  to  be  thankful  for.  By  getting  along  you  mean 
that  you  are  advancing  in  your  worldly  interests — that  you  are 
increasing  in  prosperity,  gaining  riches  ;  but  you  say,  slowly. 
Very  well,  "slow  and  sure"  has  been  the  maxim  of  the  wisest 
and  wealthiest  men. 

Getting  along.  Let  the  man  who  feels  that  he  is  "just  getting 
along "  look  round  him,  and  scan  closely  the  condition  and  cir- 
cumstances of  many  whom  he  knows.  Here  is  Mr.  A.  and  Mr. 
B.,  with  others,  who  had  before  seemed  to  him  as  model  busi- 
ness men — who  he  supposed  were  getting  along  rapidly.  Now, 
he  penetrates  beneath  the  glittering  surface,  and  finds  them,  in- 
stead of  being  firmly  planted  upon  the  high  rounds  of  the  lad- 


462  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


der  of  fortune,  merely  held  suspended  by  specious  promises  to 
pay,  and  in  momentary  dread  of  dropping  into  ruin.  And  still 
others,  whom  he  had  once  known  as  eminently  successful  mer- 
chants, he  sees  already  suffering  in  the  lowest  vale  of  poverty. 
Let  him  go  out  from  the  circle  of  his  own  acquaintance,  and 
look  upon  thousands  in  the  city  who  are  trying  to  get  along  in 
the  world.  He  will  see  that  the  large  majority  of  them  are  in- 
cessantly wrestling  against  seeming  fate.  They  try,  and  strive, 
and  contrive,  and  study  ;  struggle  hard  at  one  thing,  then  an- 
other ;  fail ;  begin  again  ;  work  early,  late ;  in  fact,  enter  into 
a  perfect  warfare  against  body,  mind,  and  life  itself,  in  order,  as 
they  term  it,  to  get  along.  And  they  can't  get  along.  Fate  is 
against  them,  friends  are  against  them,  fortune  is  against  them, 
society  is  against  them — every  thing  is  against  them — and  they 
can't  get  along.  These  toiling,  struggling,  unfortunate  thousands 
would  feel  that  a  new  life  had  come  to  them,  and  rejoice  with 
unspeakable  joy  if  they  were  afforded  the  least  cause  for  saying, 
we  are  getting  along  slowly.  While  contemplating  the  two  ex- 
tremes, the  rum  that  is  likely  to  fall  upon  those  who  make 
haste  to  get  rich,  and  the  suffering  condition  of  those  who,  by 
misfortune  or  incapacity,  vainly  strive  for  the  necessities  of  life, 
do  you  not  feel  reproved  for  murmuring  because  of  your  slow 
progress  in  wealth  ? 

Getting  along  slowly.  If  you  really  are  getting  along  slowly 
in  worldly  prosperity,  and  in  honorable  reputation,  then  you  have 
abundant  reason  for  rejoicing.  All  great,  grand,  and  most  dur 
able  things  are  of  slow  growth.  The  grand  old  trees  of  the 
forests  require  centuries  to  perfect  their  majestic  proportions. 
The  noblest  animals  are  of  long  life  and  slow  development ;  and 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  years  are  requisite  for  the  mature 
growth  of  man  in  his  physical  and  mental  being.  Gradual 


FOR   MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  463 


development  is  the  great  law  of  nature,  and  is  applicable  to 
almost  every  thing  pertaining  to  human  society.  Speed  either 
debilitates  or  insures  danger.  Hot-house  plants  are  compara- 
tively puny,  fragile  things;  and  he  who  rides  astride  the  lo- 
comotive may  glory  in  the  speed  with  which  he  passes  the  poor 
pedestrian  by  the  wayside,  and  at  the  same  tune  meditate  on 
the  chances  of  having  his  name  in  print  among  the  list  of  kitted 
aiid  wounded. 

Let  no  one  infer  that  we  would  favor  idleness,  or  discourage 
proper  effort  hi  business  men.  We  utter  not  a  word  against  the 
most  strenuous,  constant  exertions  after  wealth,  when  attended 
by  a  cheerful  disposition,  thankfulness  of  heart,  and  guided  by 
a  soul  of  noble  charity  and  of  moral  integrity.  But  that  spirit 
of  fault-finding,  that  murmuring  ungrateful  spirit  so  frequently 
manifested  by  those  of  moderate  business  success,  we  most 
heartily  condemn  ;  and  we  say,  instead  of  complaining  because 
they  are  getting  along  slowly,  they  should  rejoice  in  the  fact  that 
they  are  getting  along  at  all.  No  man  is  worthy  of  an  abun- 
dance who  is  not  thankful  for  even  the  smallest  degree  of  pros- 
perity. 

And  now,  if  we  have  any  readers  of  the  get-along-slowly  or- 
der, we  will  say  to  them  :  Get  along,  slowly,  if  you  must,  but  get 
along  honestly.  Neither  sit  down  supinely  in  despair  of  success, 
nor  enter  into  any  hazardous  speculation  in  hope  of  sudden  gain. 
Better  patiently  learn  the  great  life-lesson,  "to  labor  and 
wait,"  with  the  prayer  of  Hagar  ever  on  your  lips  and  in  your 
heart — "  Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches" — so  that,  whether 
getting  along  slowly,  or  in  the  full  tide  of  prosperity,  you  may 
have  the  same  heart  of  thankfulness,  the  same  generosity  of 
purpose,  and  be  distinguished  by  the  same  nobleness  of  charac- 
ter. 


464  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


2T1. 

SMUGGLING  is  no  new  thing  in  China.  Nothing  in  all  the 
land  seeing  better  regulated,  or  to  be  conducted  more  system- 
atically than  this  branch  of  business.  How  far  its  tariff  of 
duties  has  been  reduced  to  writing  no  one  can  tell  ;  indeed, 
every  tariff  in  China  is  merely  nominal,  as  different  from  the 
reality  as  can  well  be  imagined.  One  of  these  new  features,  the 
only  one  I  will  allude  to,  seems  to  have  resulted  from  the  sto- 
lidity of  the  functionaries  connected  with  the  native  custom- 
house department.  Because  a  foreign  vessel  happened  to  be 
famished  with  a  certain  kind  of  machinery,  her  owners  must 
be  subjected  to  any  amount  of  annoyance  the  custom-house  peo- 
ple might  see  fit  to  impose.  The  managers  of  the  steamer  were 
not  to  be  wronged  in  this  way,  nor  were  those  who  wished  to 
ship  cargo  by  her  ;  and  accordingly  they  arranged  their  own 
business.  The  amount  of  duties  lost  on  the  one  side,  and  saved 
on  the  other,  by  this  measure,  must,  some  persons  say,  be  reck- 
oned by  thousands  of  dollars. 


THERE  is  a  class  of  men  who  rail  at  fortune,  and  accuse  her  of 
being  blind  in  her  gifts.  They  say  that  dull,  plodding  men  suc- 
ceed, while  men  of  brilliant  attainments  fail  ;  but  they  never 
pause  to  ask  why  it  is  so.  To  the  end  of  their  days  they  con- 
tinue to  murmur  at  fickle  fortune,  whereas  they  would  be  far 
wiser  to  complain  of  fickle  self.  There  is  a  simple  truth,  too, 
often  lost  sight  of  by  the  world,  which  we  shall  now  seek  to  dem- 
onstrate ;  it  is  that  the  lesser  virtues  win. 

Alpha  and  Omega  begin  life  together  as  clerks  in  a  merchant's 
counting-room.  Alpha  has  more  varied  talents  than  Omega 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OP   BUSINESS.  465 


and  gains  more  favor  in  the  eyes  of  their  employer  daring  the 
first  few  months.  There  is  no  denying  that  Alpha  is  smart,  and 
Omega  comparatively  slow.  Alpha  can  accomplish  more  work  in 
a  given  tune  ;  but  Omega  is  more  painstaking.  It  occurs  to 
Alpha  that  all  his  duties  can  be  perfomed  in  less  time  than  he 
now  gives  to  them,  and  he  determines  to  come  to  business  a 
little  later,  and  leave  a  little  earlier.  Omega  is  always  punctual. 
One  evening  their  employer  stays  late  in  town,  and  wanting  the 
services  of  Alpha,  finds  him  not  at  his  books,  and  has  to  ask 
Omega  to  do  his  work.  Again  and  again  this  occurs,  but 
Alpha  is  always  ready  with  excuses,  and  his  employer  is  of  an 
indulgent  nature. 

The  dissipations  of  the  world  have  strong  allurements  for 
Alpha,  and  he  often  comes  to  business  with  feverish  brow  and 
nervous  hand.  His  thoughts  are  then  how  to  dissemble  his  suf- 
ferings, not  how  to  fulfil  his  duties.  His  books  are  carelessly 
kept,  and  he  is  told  to  imitate  Omega.  Then  Alpha  begins  to 
murmur  at  life.  The  plodding  Omega  preferred  to  him  ;  why, 
he  "  could  talk  and  write  down  such  a  fellow  any  day."  "  Yery 
true,  Alpha,  but  yon  forget  that  Omega  does  much  more  useful 
work  in  a  year."  Omega  is  persevering,  and  is  continually  sur- 
mounting difficulties  over  which  Alpha  stumbles,  until  at  last 
Omega's  painstaking,  punctual  and  persevering  habits  are  known 
to  insure  reliability  in  every  business  transaction,  and  he  is 
rewarded  by  being  made  a  partner  hi  the  firm,  while  Alpha 
remains  a  clerk  on  sufferance. 

Shall  we  pursue  the  story  further,  and  see  Omega  rising  to 
the  topmost  pinnacle  of  fortune,  and  Alpha  sinking  lower  into 
the  gulf  of  dissipation?  Shall  we  hearken  to  the  latter  rail- 
ing at  fortune,  while  in  his  every  action  he  courts  misfortune  ? 
Shall  we  view  him  willfully  perverting  his  talents,  and  yet  blam- 

20* 


466  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


ing  society  for  not  seeing  him  as  he  might  have  been  instead  of 
as  he  is  ?  Shall  we  gaze  on  him,  when,  an  utterly  ruined  and 
disappointed  man,  he  falls  into  a  premature  grave,  self-deluded 
to  the  last ;  the  cruel  world  and  not  the  cruel  self  his  final 
theme  ? 

We  prefer  to  dwell  for  a  moment  on  a  more  pleasing  subject 
— the  moral  to  be  gathered  from  the  life  of  Omega.  We  have 
said  that  the  lesser  virtues  win,  and  it  ever  must  be  so,  for  they 
lead  to  the  higher  virtues.  Painstaking  perseverance  lead  to 
strict  probity.  Omega  wag  engaged  to  do  his  very  best  for  his 
employer,  and  he  scrupulously  did  so.  To  dissipate  is  not  alone 
to  trifle,  with  health  and  reputation,  but  to  rob  the  employer  of 
a  portion  of  the  time  for  which  he  pays.  It  is  not  enough  for  a 
young  man  to  say  he  will  be  in  business  during  the  hours  speci- 
fied, but  he  should  come  calm  and  collected,  so  as  to  perform 
his  duties  well ;  and  to  insure  this  he  must  be  as  regular  in  his 
habits  away  from  bnsiness  as  when  in  business.  The  punctual 
man  becomes  the  honorable  man,  for  in  saving  moments  he  pre- 
serves his  good  faith  with  the  world.  His  word  rises  in  public 
estimation,  for  it  is  known  to  be  the  word  of  a  truly  honest  man. 
Prize  then  the  lesser  virtues,  young  men,  on  the  threshhold  of 
life,  and  then  hi  the  meridian  of  your  days  the  higher  virtues 
will  be  your  solace  and  reward. 

273. 

JOHN  DOE  is  a  man  of  large  possessions.  He  has  houses, 
lands,  stocks,  and  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  man  of  wealth.  He 
is  industrious,  shrewd,  and  successful.  His  neighbors  and  the 
money-changers  say  he  is  worth  a  great  deal,  and  so  he  is,  if  a 
man's  worth  must  be  measured  by  the  length  of  his  purse.  But 
a  real  man  is  something  else,  and  more  than  the  gold  and  silver 


FOR   MERCHANTS  AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  467 


he  happens  to  own  ;  and  therefore  the  gospel  of  Mammon,  and 
its  credulous  dupes,  err  in  opinion  and  he  against  the  truth, 
when  they  pronounce  John  Doe  worth  a  great  deal,  merely  be- 
cause he  is  rich.  For  worth  and  wealth  are  not  synonymous 
or  convertible  terms  ;  and  a  very  rich  man  may  be  a  very  worth- 
less one. 

None  are  really  worth  any  more  or  less  than  the  characters 
they  possess,  and  their  fitness  for  doing  good  to  others.  If  one 
be  ignorant,  selfish,  and  miserly,  he  may  sport  a  carriage  in 
Broadway,  yawn  at  the  opera,  lodge  in  the  Fifth  Avenue,  and 
create  a  great  sensation  in  Wall  street,  where 

Money  "  makes  the  man,  the  want  of  it  the  fellow  ; 
And  all  the  rest  is  leather  and  prunella." 

But  if  it  be  asked,  to  what  purpose  does  this  man  live  ?  what 
is  he  worth  to  his  fellow-men  ?  what  good  does  he  do  in  the 
world?  echo  answers,  Whatl  Like  a  sponge  he  grows  dis- 
tended and  dropsical  with  borrowed  matter  ;  and  if  he  be  thor- 
oughly squeezed,  and  made  to  part  with  his  fictitious  weight,  he 
becomes  as  light  and  worthless  as  gossamer,  for  he  has  no  in- 
ternal solidity  of  character.  He  has  transmuted  himself  into 
gold,  and  when  that  is  gone,  the  man  is  gone  too. 

There  are  some  every  where,  in  our  prosperous  country,  of 
great  possessions,  who  resemble  nothing  else  so  much  as  the 
receiving  vault  of  a  cemetery,  which  locks  up  in  darkness  and 
death  all  that  comes  within  its  dreary  precincts.  No  appeal  of 
sorrow,  no  cry  for  aid,  no  glorious  promise  of  future  good, 
no  prophetic  voice,  nor  angel  whisper  of  love,  can  penetrate  or 
dispel  the  putrid  composure  that  reigns  within. 

And  thus  Mr.  John  Doe  may  fill  up  his  coffers  and  increase 
his  personal  resources  ;  but  if  his  heart  be  pitiless,  devoid  of 


468  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


generous  sympathies  and  humane  desires  ;  if  riches  are  with  him 
the  end  of  existence  ;  if  he  can  find  no  other  use  for  his  money 
than  to  employ  it  in  purchasing  base  indulgences,  or  laying  it  by 
for  uncertain  and  perhaps  profligate  heirs  ;  if  he  finds  not  pleasure 
in  sustaining  the  charities  of  life,  or  institutions  devoted  to  hu- 
man weal ;  if  he  is  always  a  greedy  receiver,  and  never  a  liberal 
dispenser ;  alas  1  then,  for  the  so-called  rich,  but  actually  poor 
John  Doe.  His  penury  is  worse  than  that  of  a  Lazarus.  He 
is  more  worthless  than  the  beggar  child,  who  shares  her  crust 
with  others,  remembering  and  feeling  that  "  it  is  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive." 

"  What  is  a  man  worth  ?  "  He  is  worth  precisely  just  so  much 
as  he  has  capacity  and  inclination  to  be  useful.  He  is  to  be 
estimated  by  the  good  he  attempts  or  accomplishes.  Not  the 
tax-gatherer,  but  the  word  of  God  can  decide  his  true  value. 
Neither  polished  marble  nor  lying  epitaph  can  ever  preserve  the 
memory  or  ennoble  the  life  of  him  who,  dying,  leaves  behind 
no  monument  of  mercy,  and  no  remembrancers  of  generous  and 
benevolent  worthiness. 

"  Oh,  brother  man!  fold  to  thy  heart  thy  brother  ; 
Where  pity  dwells,  the  peace  of  God  is  there. 
To  worship  rightly  is  to  love  each  other  ; 
Each  smile  a  hymn,  each  kindly  deed  a  prayer. 

"  Follow  with  reverent  steps  the  great  example 
Of  Him  whose  holy  work  was  '  doing  good ; ' 
So  shall  the  wide  earth  seem  our  Father's  temple, 
Each  loving  life,  a  psalm  of  gratitude." 

214. 

IN  business,  the  keeping  close  to  the  matter  procureth  dis- 
patch ;  and  true  dispatch  is  a  rich  thing. 


TOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  469 


275. 

A  MERCHANT  very  extensively  engaged  in  commerce,  and  lo- 
cated upon  Long  Wharf,  died  February  18th,  1806,  at  the  age 
of  79,  intestate.  His  eldest  son  administered  upon  the  estate. 
This  old  gentleman  used  pleasantly  to  say,  that  for  many  years 
he  had  fed  a  large  number  of  Catholics  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  during  Lent — referring  to  his  very  extensive  con- 
nection with  the  fishing  business.  In  his  day  he  was  certainly 
well  known :  and  to  the  present  time  is  well  remembered  by 
some  of  the  '  old  ones  down  along  shore,'  from  the  Gurnet's  Nose 
to  Race  Point. 

Among  his  papers,  a  package  of  considerable  size  was  found 
after  his  death,  carefully  tied  up,  and  labelled  as  follows  : 
"  Notes,  due  bills,  and  accounts  against  sundry  persons  down 
along  shore.  Some  of  these  may  be  got  by  a  suit  or  severe 
dunning.  But  the  people  are  poor  ;  most  of  them  have  had 
fisherman's  luck.  My  children  will  do  as  they  think  best.  Per- 
haps they  will  think  with  me,  that  it  is  best  to  burn  this  package 
entire." 

"  About  a  month,"  said  my  informant,  "  after  our  father  died, 
the  sons  met  together,  and,  after  some  general  remarks,  our 
eldest  brother,  the  administrator,  produced  this  package,  of 
whose  existence  we  were  already  apprised,  read  the  superscrip- 
tion, and  asked  what  course  should  be  taken  in  regard  to  it. 
Another  brother,  a  few  years  younger  than  the  eldest,  a  man 
of  strong,  impulsive  temperament,  unable  at  the  moment  to  ex- 
press his  feeling  by  words,  while  he  brushed  the  tears  from  his 
eyes  with  One  hand,  by  a  spasmodic  jerk  of  the  other  toward 
the  fire-place,  indicated  his  desire  to  have  the  paper  put  into  the 
flames.  It  was  suggested  by  another  of  our  number,  that  it 


470  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


might  be  well  first  to  make  a  list  of  debtors'  names,  and  of  the 
dates  and  accounts,  that  we  might  be  enabled,  as  the  intended 
discharge  was  for  all,  to  inform  such  as  might  offer  payment, 
that  their  debts  were  forgiven.  On  the  following  day  we  again 
assembled,  the  list  had  been  prepared,  and  all  the  notes,  due 
bills,  and  accounts,  whose  amount,  including  interest,  exceeded 
thirty-two  thousand  dollars,  were  committed  to  the  flames. 

"  It  was  about  four  months  after  our  father's  death,  in  the 
month  of  June,  that,  as  I  was  sitting  in  my  eldest  brother's 
counting-room,  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  him,  there 
came  in  a  hard-favored,  little  old  man,  who  looked  as  if  time 
and  rough  weather  had  been  to  the  windward  of  him  for 
seventy  years.  He  asked  if  my  brother  was  not  the  executor. 
He  replied  that  he  was  administrator,  as  our  father  died  intes- 
tate. '  Well/  said  the  stranger,  '  I  have  come  up  from  the  Cape 
to  pay  a  debt  I  owed  the  old  gentleman.'  My  brother,"  con- 
tinued my  informant,  "requested  him  to  be  seated,  being  at  the 
moment  engaged. 

"The  old  man  sat  down,  and  putting  on  his  glasses,  drew  out 
a  very  ancient  leather  wallet.  When  he  had  done,  and  there 
was  quite  a  parcel  of  notes,  as  he  sat,  waiting  his  turn,  slowly 
twisting  his  thumbs,  with  his  old  gray  meditative  eyes  upon  the 
floor,  he  sighed  ;  and  I  well  supposed  the  money,  as  the  phrase 
runs,  came  hard,  and  secretly  wished  the  old  man's  name  might 
be  found  upon  the  forgiven  list.  My  brother  was  soon  at 
leisure,  and  asked  him  the  common  question,  his  name,  etc. 
The  original  debt  was  four  hundred  and  forty  dollars  ;  it  had 
stood  a  long  time,  and,  with  the  interest,  amounted  to  a  sum 
between  seven  and  eight  hundred  dollars.  My  brother  went  to 
his  table,  and  after  examining  the  forgiven  list  attentively,  a  sud- 
den smile  lighted  up  his  countenance,  and  told  me  the  truth  at  a 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS. 


glance — the  old  man's  name  was  there  !  My  brother  quietly 
took  a  chair  by  his  side,  and  a  conversation  ensued  between 
them,  which  I  shall  never  forget.  'Your  note  is  outlawed,' 
said  my  brother,  '  it  was  dated  twelve  years  ago,  payable  in  two 
years  ;  there  is  no  witness,  and  no  interest  has  ever  been  paid  ; 
you  are  not  bound  to  pay  this  note :  we  cannot  recover  the 
amount.' 

"  'Sir,'  said  the  old  man,  'I  wish  to  pay  it.  It  is  the  only 
heavy  debt  I  have  in  the  world.  I  should  like  to  pay  it,'  and 
he  laid  the  bank  notes  before  my  brother,  and  requested  him  to 
count  them  over. 

'"I  cannot  take  this  money,'  said  my  brother. 

"  The  old  man  became  alarmed.  '  I  have  cast  simple  interest 
for  twelve  years  and  a  little  over,'  said  the  old  man.  '  I  will 
pay  you  compound  interest  if  you  say  so.  That  debt  ought  to 
have  been  paid  long  ago,  but  your  father,  sir,  was  very  indulgent, 
— he  knew  I  had  been  unfortunate,  and  told  me  not  to  worry 
about  it.' 

"My  brother  then  set  the  whole  matter  plainly  before  him, 
and,  taking  the  bills,  returned  them  to  the  old  man,  telling  him, 
that  although  our  father  left  no  formal  will,  he  had  recommended 
to  his  children  to  destroy  certain  notes,  due  bills,  and  other  evi- 
dences of  debt,  and  release  those  who  might  be  legally  bound  to 
pay  them.  For  a  moment  the  worthy  old  man  seemed  to  be 
stupified.  After  he  had  collected  himself,  and  wiped  a  few 
tears  from  his  eyes,  he  stated,  that  from  the  time  he  had  heard 
of  our  father's  death,  he  had  raked  and  scraped,  and  pinched 
and  spared,  to  get  the  money  together  for  the  payment  of  this 
debt.  '  About  ten  days  ago,'  said  he,  '  I  bad  made  up  the  sum 
within  twenty  dollars.  My  wife  knew  how  much  the  payment 
of  this  debt  lay  upon  my  spirits,  and  advised  me  to  sell  a  cow, 


472  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


and  make  up  the  difference,  and  get  the  heavy  burden  off  my 
spirits.  I  did  so — and  now  what  will  my  old  woman  say  ?  I 
must  get  home  to  the  Cape  and  tell  her  this  good  news.  She'll 
probably  say  over  the  very  words  she  said  when  she  put  her 
hands  on  my  shoulder  as  we  parted — '  I  have  never  seen  the 
righteous  man  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread.'  After  a 
hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  and  a  blessing  upon  our  father's 
memory,  he  went  upon  his  way  rejoicing. 

"  After  a  short  silence,  seizing  his  pencil  and  making  a  cast — 
'There,'  exclaimed  my  brother,  ' your  part  of  the  amount  would 
be  so  much — contrive  a  plan  to  convey  to  me  your  share  of  the 
pleasure  derived  from  this  operation,  and  the  money  is  at  your 
service." 

Such  is  the  simple  tale,  which  I  have  told  you  as  it  was  told 
to  me. 

276. 

WE  rail  at  Trade,  and  the  philosopher  and  lover  of  man  will 
have  much  harm  to  say  of  it ;  but  the  historian  of  the  world 
will  see  that  Trade  was  the  principle  of  Liberty  ;  that  Trade 
planted  America  and  destroyed  Feudalism  ;  that  it  makes  peace 
and  it  keeps  peace,  and  it  will  abolish  slavery.  We  complain 
of  the  grievous  oppression  of  the  poor,  and  of  its  building  up 
a  new  aristocracy  on  the  ruins  of  the  aristocracy  it  destroyed. 
But  there  is  this  immense  difference,  that  the  aristocracy  of 
trade  has  no  permanence,  is  not  entailed,  was  the  result  of  toil 
and  talent,  the  result  of  merit  of  some  kind,  and  is  continually 
falling,  like  the  waves  of  the  sea,  before  new  claims  of  the  same 
sort.  Trade  is  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  that  friendly  Power 
which  works  for  us  in  our  despite.  We  design  it  thus  and  thus  ; 
but  it  turns  out  otherwise  and  far  better.  This  beneficent  ten- 
dency, omnipotent  without  violence,  exists  and  works. 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  473 


277. 

"WHEN  you  were  showing  us,  papa,"  said  George,  "that  a 
great  many  of  the  virtues,  commonly  so-called,  are  not  virtues 
nnless  they  are  under  the  control  of  other  virtues,  I  thought 
Perseverance,  too,  might  be  sometimes  a  false  virtue, — for  that 
a  man  might  persevere  in  doing  wrong." 

"That  is  most  true,  George,  and  I  am  glad  that  you  are 
learning  how  to  distinguish  between  what  are  real  virtues  and 
what  are  not ;  between  what  are  virtues  sometimes,  and  what 
are  virtues  always.  And  as  I  remember  two  cases,  one  of 
vicious,  and  another  of  virtuous  perseverance,  they  will  serve  to 
explain  what  is  good  and  what  is  evil  in  persevering  conduct. 

"  A  quarrel  had  taken  place  between  two  clerks  in  a  mer- 
chant's counting-house — Jonas  and  Jonathan.  The  quarrel  was 
of  little  importance  in  itself,  for  it  was  merely  as  to  the  quantity 
of  work  that  each  had  to  do.  The  merchant  has  given  six  letters 
to  be  copied :  Jonas  said  that  each  should  copy  three  ;  Jona- 
than said,  that  as  they  were  not  of  the  same  length,  one  should 
copy  four  and  the  other  two.  They  disputed  violently  about  it. 
and  from  words  came  to  blows.  Jonas  beat  Jonathan  severely, 
and  Jonathan  vowed  that  he  would  be  revenged.  In  this  deter- 
mination he  persevered,  and  it  was  a  part  of  every  day's  thoughts 
how  he  could  injure  Jonas. 

"Jonas  kept  what  is  called  the  petty  cash  in  the  merchant's 
counting-house,  that  is,  he  was  charged  with  the  payment  of  all 
the  small  sums  for  the  ordinary  expenses  of  the  business,  and 
was  settled  with  by  the  merchant  every  week,  on  his  producing 
the  accounts,  and  the  vouchers  for  payment  when  any  receipts 
were  given.  Jonas  was  particularly  careful  to  keep  his  docu- 
ments in  order,  and  Jonathan,  who  knew  Jonas's  pride  in  having 


474  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND   MISCELLANIES 


his  cash-book  right,  determined  to  do  all  that  he  could  to  em- 
barrass and  confuse  him.  Whenever  Jonathan  could  lay  his 
hands  upon  any  voucher  that  Jonas  wanted  to  show  that  his  pay- 
ments were  regular,  Jonathan  took  the  opportunity,  when  nobody 
was  present,  either  to  burn  or  otherwise  destroy  it.  This  made 
Jonas  very  miserable,  who  never  fancied  that  his  companion 
would  have  been  so  wicked  ;  but  Jonas  was  bitterly  distressed, 
when,  on  three  following  Saturdays,,  instead  of  receiving  the 
merchant's  accustomed  praise,  he  was  reprimanded  for  negligence. 
Jonas  protested  that  he  had  been  as  careful  as  usual,  but  could 
not  conceive  how  the  documents  had  disappeared.  He  deter- 
mined, in  future,  to  lock  them  up,  instead  of  leaving  them  under 
the  leads  of  the  desk,  as  he  had  hitherto  done.  The  next  week 
all  Jonas's  accounts  were  as  correct  as  usual,  and  all  the  vouch- 
ers in  order,  and  his  tranquillity  returned. 

"  But  it  did  not  last  long  ;  for  Jonathan,  finding  that  he  had 
not  succeeded  in  his  ill-natured  attempt,  was  resolved  to  injure 
Jonas  even  more  seriously  ;  and  one  day,  when  Jonas  had  gone 
to  the  docks,  and  had  by  accident  left  the  key  in  his  desk, 
Jonathan  took  a  five-pound  note  out  of  the  cash-box  which 
Jonas  had  kept  there,  and  concealed  it  in  another  part  of  the 
desk.  He  did  not  dare  to  steal  it ;  he  would  have  been  afraid 
of  detection ;  but  he  knew  how  much  Jonas  would  suffer,  and 
he  persevered  in  making  him  suffer. 

"  Jonas  came  home,  and  put  the  keys  in  his  pocket ;  he  did  not 
even  recollect  that  he  had  left  them  in  the  desk  ;  but  the  next 
day,  when  he  opened  his  desk  to  count  the  money  in  the  cash- 
box,  a  five-pound  note  was  missing.  This  was,  indeed,  a  sad  dis- 
covery; he  racked  his  brains  to  remember  whether  he  had  made 
any  payments  that  he  had  not  entered.  He  inquired  of  Jona- 
than whether  he  had  seen  him  pay  any  money  away.  Jonathan 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MKN   OF   BUSINESS.  475 


professed  to  feel  for  his  distress,  while,  in  fact,  he  was  rejoicing 
in  it ;  and  he  was  even  much  delighted  (wicked  lad  !)  when  he 
heard  the  merchant,  in  his  private  room,  severely  reproaching 
Jonas  for  his  carelessness. 

"A  few  weeks  after,  Jonas  having  occasion  to  ransack  his 
desk  for  some  papers,  found  the  five-pound  note.  It  never  oc- 
curred to  him  that  any  body  could  have  been  so  spiteful  as  to  hide 
it*  in  order  to  give  him  pain;  and  he  supposed  that  he  himself  had, 
by  accident,  stowed  it  away  with  other  papers.  But  his  joy  at 
finding  it  was  even  greater  than  his  distress  at  losing  it.  He 
ran  to  the  merchant,  and  told  him  of  his  good  fortune.  The 
merchant  recommended  more  caution  in  future. 

"  Still  Jonathan  persevered  in  persecuting  Jonas  ;  and  having 
been  hitherto  undetected,  became  bolder.  It  was  Jonas's  duty 
to  take  the  letters  to  the  post-office.  One  day  a  letter  of  great 
importance,  containing  a  bill  of  exchange  for  a  large  amount, 
was  missing.  The  merchant  had,  as  usual,  intrusted  the  cor- 
respondence to  Jonas's  care,  and  had  left  the  city  for  his  country 
abode.  Next  day  the  first  inquiry,  when  the  merchant  came, 
was  whether  the  letters  had  been  dispatched.  Jonas  burst  into 
tears,  and  said  that  the  letter  with  the  remittance  was  not  to 
be  found.  '  What ! '  said  the  merchant,  with  extreme  dis- 
pleasure ;  '  that  letter  missing  ! '  And,  looking  on  the  ground, 
he  saw  the  letter  at  Jonas's  feet,  wet  and  dirty,  as  if  it  had 
been  trampled  on.  This  had  been  also  Jonathan's  doing. 
He  had  concealed  the  letter  the  night  before.  He  had  flung 
it  unperceived — having  himself  trodden  upon  it — under  Jonas's 
desk. 

"In  this  way  many  months  passed.  All  Jonathan's  conduct 
was  the  persevering  annoyance  of  Jonas ;  but  he  generally 
managed  with  so  much  cunning  as  to  be  undiscovered  in  his 


476  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


malice ;  but  things  went  on  so  ill,  that  the  merchant  dismissed 
them  both. 

"  Years  rolled  by,  in  which  they  had  little  intercourse  with 
one  another.  Jonas  and  Jonathan,  in  the  progress  of  time, 
became  merchants  themselves,  but  nothing  could  eradicate  from 
Jonathan's  mind  the  determination  to  injure,  and,  if  possible,  to 
ruin  Jonas.  And  he  at  last  accomplished  it,  though  his  own 
ruin  was  at  hand.  He  undermined  the  credit  of  Jonas  by  per- 
severing, indirect  insinuations  as  to  the  state  of  his  affairs,  by 
doubts  and  innuendos,  and  shrugs  of  the  shoulder,  by  a  succes- 
sion of  unfounded  reports  and  malevolently  expressed  suspicions, 
Jonas's  reputation  as  a  merchant  suffered,  and  bankruptcy  took 
place.  Some  of  the  statements  by  which  Jonas  had  been  in- 
jured were,  however,  traced  to  Jonathan.  He  was  prosecuted 
for  damages,  convicted,  and  his  own  insolvency  soon  followed. 

"  But  of  perseverance — vicious  perseverance — he  was  a  strik- 
ing example. 

"It  is  not  long  ago,  that  I  went  to  visit  an  interesting  old 
man,  who  lives  by  the  side  of  the  Rhone,  at  a  short  distance 
from  Lyons.  Have  you  ever  heard  of  the  Jacquard  machine, 
one  of  the  most  ingenious  of  modern  discoveries,  by  which  the 
most  complicated  patterns  can  be  woven  with  the  same  ease  as 
the  plainest ;  a  machine  which  enables  an  ordinary  weaver  to 
produce  all  those  many-colored  oriental  shawls,  fashionable  silks, 
and  variegated  ribbons,  which  formerly  required  a  dexterity 
possessed  only  by  a  very  few,  and  a  continuous  labor  that  made 
them  costly  and  inaccessible  to  any  but  the  rich  ?  Now-a-days, 
silk  stuffs,  exquisitely  tasteful  and  beautiful,  can  be  purchased 
for  a  small  sum  of  money,  and  are  worn  by  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  the  classes  whose  garments  were  formerly  made  of 
coarse  wool  or  hemp.  The  old  man  I  speak  of  was  Jacquard, 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  47T 


and  he  was  one  of  the  great  causes  of  this  diffusion  of  enjoy- 
ment. As  I  happened  to  be  near  the  place  of  his  abode,  I 
determined  to  visit  him,  and  did  so,  accompanied  by  several 
friends. 

"  It  was  a  sunshiny  day,  I  remember,  and  we  had  a  delight- 
ful walk  along  the  margin  of  the  rapid  Rhone,  a  river  re- 
nowned in  history,  and  whose  banks  are  still  crowded  with  the 
ruins  of  .past  time,  calling  to  mind  the  days  when  every  feudal 
chief  was  obliged  to  shut  himself  up  in  high  and  embattled 
towers,  built  often  upon  dangerous  crags,  in  order  to  be  secure 
from  the  attacks  of  some  neighboring  lord.  The  petty  sover- 
eigns and  the  petty  feuds  have  passed  away  together.  Every 
thing  now  bears  the  face  of  security,  of  industry,  of  peace. 
Talking  of  the  delightful  contrast,  and  hoping  that  nations 
would  one  day  harmonize,  as  the  once  contending  peasantry 
of  the  Rhone  now  harmonize,  we  reached  old  Jacquard's  abode. 

"He  welcomed  us  with  heartiness.  'But  come  forth  into 
my  vineyard/  he  said  ;  '  let  us  get  among  the  grapes  and  the 
sunshine  ; '  so  he  led  the  way  with  a  tottering  step.  '  Hither, 
hither,'  he  called  out ;  '  come  with  me  to  the  arbor.'  We  fol- 
lowed him  there.  '  Let  me  sit  in  the  centre,  and  let  me  tell  you 
how  glad  I  am  to  see  you,  my  friends  ! '  We  sat  down  around 
him  ;  the  clematis  was  blended  with  the  vine,  and  together  they 
made  the  roof  and  the  walls  of  the  quiet  retreat,  where,  every  day, 
the  venerable  old  man  was  used  to  sit,  and  to  recall  the  events 
of  his  much  chequered  life.  Some  of  those  events  you  shall 
hear  as  he  himself  related  them,  and  you  will  see  what  persever- 
ance— virtuous  perseverance — is,  and  what  virtuous  perseverance 
can  do. 

"I  told  Jacquard  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  and  as  he  had 
been  one  of  the  benefactors  of  my  country,  I  was  come  to  thank 


478  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


him.  '  How  proud  I  am,'  said  he,  '  to  be  visited  by  an  English- 
man. If  I  have  ever  done  any  good,  I  owe  the  very  first  sug- 
gestion to  Eugland.  It  was  an  English  newspaper  that  led  me 
to  occupy  my  thoughts  with  mechanical  improvements.  But  for 
that,  perhaps,  I  should  still  have  been  a  poor  straw-hat  maker 
in  an  obscure  street  at  Lyons,  instead' of  the  happy  man  you 
see  me,  honored  by  my  native  town,  recompensed  by  the  govern- 
ment, (pointing  to  the  red  ribbon  which  he  wore  at  his  button- 
hole, )  and  pensioned  by  the  state.'  '  But  how,'  I  inquired,  '  did 
you  owe  to  England  your  first  success  ? '  It  was,'  he  answered, 
'  during  the  peace  of  Amiens,  that  we  were  accustomed  to  meet, 
in  order  to  talk  politics,  at  a  friend's  house,  on  the  quay.  It 
was  there  a  translated  extract  from  an  English  newspaper  met 
my  eye,  stating  that  a  premium  was  offered  by  a  society  in  Lon- 
don, to  any  one  who  would  apply  machinery  to  the  manufacture 
of  nets.  I  meditated  long  upon  the  matter,  and  after  many 
attempts,  I  made  a  machine  by  which  nets  could  be  produced. 
It  was  the  first  of  my  mechanical  experiments,  and  I  will  tell 
you,  if  you  have  the  patience  and  the  desire  to  hear  me,  how 
that  trifling  affair  was  the  beginning  of  my  good  fortune  and 
my  fame.'  Nothing,  we  assured  him,  could  gratify  us  more  than 
to  continue  his  history.  '  Well,  then,'  said  he,  '  I  contrived  a 
machine  and  made  a  net  by  it,  and  thought  no  more  of  the 
matter.  I  carried  the  net  about  in  my  pocket,  and  one  day, 
meeting  with  a  friend  who  had  heard  the  paragraph  of  the 
English  paper  read,  I  threw  it  to  him,  saying,  "  There  is  the 
difficulty  got  over,  and  the  net  made  ! "  And  the  matter  passed 
out  of  my  mind.  I  had  persevered  until  I  had  succeeded,  and 
there  was  an  end  of  it.  Some  time  afterwards,  I  was  much  sur- 
prised at  getting  an  order  from  the  Prefect  to  appear  at  the 
Prefectal  palace.  I  went,  and  the  Prefect  said  he  had  only 


FOB  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  479 


lately  heard  of  iny  proficiency  in  the  mechanical  arts.  It  was 
a  great  mystery  to  me  ;  I  really  did  iiot  comprehend  his  mean- 
ing, and  I  stammered  out  a  sort  of  an  apology  for  not  under- 
standing him.  My  net,  and  the  machine  that  made  it,  had  gone 
quite  out  of  my  head.  The  Prefect  expressed  surprise  that  I 
should  deny  my  own  abilities,  but  at  last  he  produced  the  very 
net  that  I  had  made,  and  which  to  me  had  seemed  a  very  trifling 
affair,  as  it  was  in  reality.  "  I  have  orders  from  the  Emperor  to 
send  the  machine  to  Paris,"  said  the  Prefect.  "From  the  Em- 
peror 1  That's  strange  indeed  ;  but  you  must  give  me  time  to 
make  it."  So  I  set  about  it,  ^uid  in  a  few  weeks  I  completed  it, 
and  trudged  away  with  my  machine  and  a  half  manufactured  net 
in  it  to  the  Prefect.  He  was  very  impatient  to  see  it  work,  so 
I  bid  him  count  the  number  of  loops,  and  then  strike  the  bar 
with  his  foot;  he  did  so,  and  another  loop  was  added  to  the 
number.  Great  was  the  delight  that  he  expressed,  and  he  told 
me  that  no  doubt  I  should  hear  from  him  again.  I  heard  from 
him  again,  in  truth,  very  soon,  and  in  a  way  that  perplexed  me 
not  a  little  ;  for  his  first  greeting  was — ."  You  must  go  to  Paris, 
M.  Jacquard,  by  his  Majesty's  orders."  "  To  Paris,  sir!  how  can 
that  be  ?  What  have  I  done  ?  How  can  I  leave  my  affairs 
here  ? "  "  Not  only  must  yon  go  to  Paris,  but  you  must  go  to- 
day— you  must  go  immediately! "  These  were  not  times  in  which 
there  was  any  resisting  the  orders  of  authority;  so  I  said,  "If 
it  must  be  so,  it  must ;  I  will  go  home  and  pack  up  my 
baggage,  and  I  shall  be  ready  to  obey  your  commands."  "  No  ! 
M.  Jacquard,"  said  the  Prefect,  "you  cannot  go  home  ;  a  car- 
riage is  waiting  to  take  you  to  Paris."  "  Not  go  home  ! — not 
say  adieu  to  my  wife  ! — not  make  up  my  luggage  for  a  journey  of 
150  leagues  I "  "I  have  orders,"  said  the  Prefect,  "  to  dispatch 
you  instantly  ;  you  may  send  to  your  wife  ;  you  may  tell  her  to 


480  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


give  to  my  messenger  any  thing  you  desire  to  take — I  will 
provide  you  with  money  ;  but  there  must  be  no  delay."  There 
was  no  argument  about  the  matter,  so  I  sent  to  my  wife,  got  a 
small  bundle  of  clothes,  jumped  into  the  carriage,  and  away ! 
away !  we  were  off,  full  gallop  towards  Paris  !  When  we 
reached  the  first  station,  I  opened  the  door,  and  I  found  my- 
self stopped  by  a  gendarme,  who  said  to  me,  "  Sir,  if  you  please, 
you  are  not  to  go  out  of  my  sight."  I  found  I  was  a  prisoner, 
and  escorted  by  military  force  to  the  capital ;  things  were  so 
managed  at  that  tune ;  there  was,  however,  no  use  in  com- 
plaining, so  I  made  the  best  of  my  fate,  and  submitted  in  good 
humor. 

"'I  reached  Paris  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  and  strange  was 
my  introduction  there.  I  was  escorted  to  the  Conservatory,  and 
whom  should  I  see  there  but  Napoleon  and  Carnot.  Carnot 
said  to  me  suddenly,  "  Are  you  the  man  that  can  do  what 
Omnipotence  cannot  do  ?  Can  you  tie  a  knot  in  a  string  on 
the  stretch?"  I  was  overwhelmed  with  the  presence  of  the 
Emperor,  and  the  abruptness  of  his  minister,  and  knew  not  what 
to  answer.  But  Napoleon  spoke  very  condescendingly  to  me 
about  my  discovery ;  told  me  he  would  protect  me,  and  urged 
me  to  go  on  with  my  mechanical  pursuits. 

'"Materials  were  brought  me,  and  I  was  directed  to  make  a 
net-producing  machine  in  the  Conservatory,  which  I  did. 

"  '  At  that  time,  a  superb  shawl  was  being  woven  for  the  Em- 
press Josephine,  and  for  its  production  they  were  employing  a 
very  costly  and  complicated  loom — a  loom  upon  which  more  than 
twenty  thousand  francs  had  been  expended.  It  appeared  to  me 
that  the  same  effect  might  be  produced  by  a  less  perplexing 
machinery,  and  I  recollected  having  seen  a  model  by  Vaucauson, 
in  which  I  thought  a  principle  was  developed  which  I  could 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  481 


apply  to  the  desired  purpose.  Long  thought  and  perseverance 
enabled  me  to  produce  the  mechanism  that  bears  my  name. 
When  I  had  succeeded,  the  Emperor  conferred  this  decora- 
tion upon  me,  and  granted  me  a  pension  of  one  thousand 
crowns. 

"  '  But  on  returning  to  Lyons,  far  different  was  my  destiny. 
When  I  endeavored  to  introduce  my  machine,  the  workmen 
broke  out  into  open  revolt.  I  was  every  where  denounced  as 
the  enemy  of  the  people,  as  the  man  who  had  been  scheming 
the  destruction  of  their  trade,  and  the  starvation  of  themselves 
and  their  families.  Three  plots  were  laid  to  assassinate  me,  and 
twice  I  had  great  difficulty  in  escaping  with  my  life.  So  strong 
was  the  tide  of  prejudice  and  indignation,  that  my  machine  was 
ordered  to  be  openly  destroyed  by  the  public  authorities.  It  was 
broken  to  pieces  in  the  great  square  of  the  city.  The  iron  was 
sold  for  old  iron  ;  the  wood  for  fire-wood.  Think  what  a  ship- 
wreck of  all  my  hopes  ! 

"  '  I  did  not  quite  lose  courage.  The  successful  competition 
of  foreigners,  and  the  consequent  decline  of  trade  in  France,  led 
some  intelligent  manufacturers,  a  few  years  after,  to  think  of  the 
man  whose  discovery  might,  perhaps,  bring  some  relief  to  that 
depression  under  which  they  labored.  They  found  strength  of 
mind  to  make  another  experiment.  It  succeeded.  Silks  of 
greater  beauty  were  introduced,  at  a  lower  cost.  There  was 
a  dawn  of  prosperity,  and  it  has  continued  to  shine.  Of  that 
machine  which  had  been  devoted  to  ignominy  and  destruction,  I 
have  now  seen  thousands  introduced,  and  there  is  now  scarcely 
any  man  so  blind,  or  so  ignorant,  as  not  to  acknowledge  that  its 
introduction  has  been  a  great  blessing.  It  has  given  labor  to 
tens  of  thousands,  and  I  have  had  a  complete  recompense  for 
all  I  have  gone  through.' 

21 


482  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


"We  talked  of  these  and  other  matters  till  the  shades  of 
coming  twilight  bid  us  depart.  The  happy  old  man  is  still  in  my 
memory  ;  a  striking  instance  of  virtuous  perseverance,  crowned 
with  fit  reward." 

278. 

IF  there  is  any  symptom  of  another  commercial  crisis  in  the 
United  States,  similar  to  that  of  1837,  it  is  to  be  found  in  the 
really  wicked  personal  extravagance,  which  at  present  forms  the 
most  prominent  social  feature  of  our  Eastern  cities.  Such  ruin- 
ous wastefulness  has  always  hitherto  been  among  the  immediate 
antecedents  of  great  revulsions,  serving  both  as  an  index  and  a 
cause  of  coming  disaster. 

The  reader  will  scarcely  credit  the  following  revelation  in 
regard  to  this  matter,  which  we  take  from  the  Philadelphia 
Ledger: — 

"A  fashionable  dry  goods  dealer  advertises  a  lace  scarf, 
worth  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  Another  has  a  bridal  dress,  for 
which  he  asks  twelve  hundred  dollars.  Bonnets  at  two  hundred 
dollars  are  not  unfrequently  sold.  Cashmeres  from  three  hundred 
dollars  and  upwards  are  seen  by  dozens  in  a  walk  along  Broad- 
way. A  hundred  dollars  is  quite  a  common  price  for  a  silk 
gown.  In  a  word,  extravagance  in  dress  has  reached  a  height 
which  would  have  frightened  our  prudent  grandmothers,  and 
appalled  their  husbands.  A  fashionable  lady  spends  annually  on 
her  mantua-maker  and  lace-dealer,  a  sum  that  would  have 
supported  an  entire  household,  even  in  her  own  rank  in  life,  in 
the  days  of  Mrs.  Washington.  A  thousand  dollars  a  year  is 
considered,  we  are  told,  quite  a  narrow  income  for  such  purposes 
among  those  pretending  to  be  '  in  society '  in  some  of  our  cities. 
Add  to  this  the  expenditure  for  opera  tickets,  for  a  trip  to  the 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  483 


Springs,  and  for  a  score  of  little  inevitable  et  ceteras,  and  the 
reader  gets  some  idea  of  the  comparatively  wanton  waste  of 
money,  carried  on  year  after  year,  by  thousands,  if  not  tens  of 
thousands  of  American  women. 

And  for  what  end?  Do  these  human  butterflies  improve 
their  intellect,  enlarge  their  culture,  or  elevate  their  characters 
by  this  spendthrift  system  ?  On  the  contrary,  they  deteriorate 
all.  Do  they  bestow  additional  happiness  on  their  husbands 
and  fathers  ?  The  very  reverse  :  for  to  sustain  these  extrava- 
gances, the  father  or  husband,  as  the  case  may  be,  toils  late  and 
early,  consumes  his  health,  and  often  is  driven  into  wild  specula- 
tions that  end  in  utter  ruin.  Do  they  win  the  approval  of  the 
other  sex  ?  Never  was  the  esteem  of  any  worthy  man  secured 
by  a  costly,  reckless  style  of  dress.  All  that  this  perilous  ex- 
travagance effects  is,  to  gratify  miserable,  personal  vanity.  The 
fostering  of  one  of  the  most  petty  of  human  vices  is  the  only 
result  of  these  spendthrift  habits.  Mrs.  Potiphar  plumes  her- 
self on  having  outshone  her  rival  in  laces,  at  some  grand  soiree, 
or  in  having  worn  more  jewels ;  and  that  is  the  single,  barren 
harvest  which  she  reaps  by  the  expenditure  of  thousands.  Can 
the  pampering  of  such  vanity  benefit  her  or  others?  Alas!  the 
women  who  live  for  such  triumphs  as  these,  whose  whole  souls 
are  given  to  diamonds  and  dress,  are  little  fitted  to  be  wives  or 
mothers,  to  be  companions  for  men  or  educators  of  children. 
When  the  Roman  matrons  sunk  to  a  sjmilar  condition,  Rome 
commenced  to  decline. 

Fortunately  for  our  country,  however,  such  painted  triflers 
form  but  a  small  minority  of  the  women  of  America.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  their  influence  on  society  is  greater  than  their 
numbers,  for  to  their  extravagance  and  vanity  is  united  a  pre- 
sumption, which  asserts  for  themselves  socially  a  superiority  over 


484  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


the  rest  of  their  countrywomen  ;  and  this  superiority,  so  unde- 
served, is  conceded  to  them,  partly  because  of  their  apparent 
wealth.  They  are  thus  enabled  practically  to  give  a  tone  to 
society  at  large.  In  city  circles  less  ostentatious,  in  country 
villages,  and  even  in  farm  houses,  their  extravagance  and  vanity 
is  copied,  till  in  half  the  families  in  the  land  females  spend  upon 
their  dress  more  than  they  can  afford.  With  too  many,  happily 
we  need  not  say  with  all,  adorning  the  person  takes  the  place  of 
mental  culture.  To  be  showily  dressed  is  often  considered  to  be 
of  more  moment  than  to  be  graceful,  amiable,  and  intelligent. 
Where  will  this  end  ?  If  this  continues  for  another  generation, 
where  will  we  be  ? 

279. 

POLITENESS  is  the  distinctive  attribute  of  a  gentleman — rude- 
ness, of  a  boor.  The  bear  growls  its  characteristic  utterances. 
The  man  who  is  addressed  with  civility,  and  replies  with  rudeness, 
gives  utterance  to  his  innate  brutality. 

True  politeness  is  the  natural  exponent  of  a  well-regulated 
mind.  It  is  inseparable  from  good  breeding,  self-respeot,  and  a 
high  sense  of  honor.  The  gentleman  is  consequently  courteous 
in  all  his  intercourse.  But  the  ill-bred  man,  regarding  polite- 
ness as  an  occasional  advantage  or  necessity,  fancies  that  he  may 
exercise  it  or  not,  to  suit  his  convenience.  In  his  view,  courtesy 
is  simply  matter  of  traffic.  Thus,  in  a  degree,  he  makes  him- 
self merchantable,  although  he  cannot  make  himself  a  gentle- 
man. 

Universal  politeness  has  become  a  primary  law  in  all  eminent 
mercantile  houses.  It  characterizes  the  intercourse  of  the  Bar- 
ings, Rothschilds,  Laboucheres,  and  all  the  most  highly  respect- 
ed American  houses.  Every  Boston  merchant  remembers  with 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  485 


pleasure  the  genial  urbanity  which  graced  the  energy,  success, 
grand  beneficence,  and  important  public  services  of  ABBOTT 
LAWRENCE,  the  distinguished  merchant  and  statesman.  The 
feelings  and  courtesies  of  a  true  gentleman  marked  his  eminent 
character. 

Whoever  enters  the  counting-rooms  of  a  Baring,  Labouchere, 
or  a  Lawrence,  whether  his  proposals  are  accepted  or  declined, 
is  sure  to  meet  with  civility.  Ill  the  offices  of  such  merchants, 
the  visitor  might  as  soon  be  expected  to  be  greeted  with  the 
whoop  of  a  wild  Pawnee,  brandishing  a  scalping  knife  at  his 
head,  as  to  hear  a  polite  request  repelled  with  snobbish  incivility, 
graced  perhaps  with  a  characteristic  "  What  the  devil  do  you 
suppose  1  care  ? "  Their  urbanity,  self-respect,  and  dignity  are 
not  occasional  appliances,  hence  they  cannot  descend  to  vulgar 
arrogance.  Happily  the  latter  is  reserved  to  that  class  of  hybrid 
magnates  who  readily  mistake  their  native  rudeness  for  mercan- 
tile dignity. 

280. 

WE  hear  very  much  of  political  economists,  but  very  little  of 
life  economists.  Demand  and  supply  are  synonymous  terms,  say 
the  former  ;  and  yet  the  latter  would  have  very  little  difficulty 
in  proving  that  the  demand  upon  the  strength  and  energies  of 
man  is,  in  many  cases,  more  than  equal  to  the  supply.  In  nothing 
are  we  so  prodigal  as  in  the  waste  of  human  life.  The  majority 
of  men  die  prematurely  through  overtaxing  their  mental  and 
physical  powers.  Unrest  is  a  prominent  characteristic  of  modern 
times.  Food  hastily  swallowed  ;  work  hastily  done  ;  money 
hastily  made  ;  health  carelessly  sacrificed  ;  life  wilfully  robbed 
of  its  peace  and  sanctity :  such  are  some  of  the  errors  almost 
peculiar  to  this  age. 


486  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


A  moment's  reflection  will  show  how  much  treasure  is  sacri- 
ficed by  this  prodigality  of  life.  It  is  stated  by  Dr.  Lyon  Play- 
fair — a  man  of  great  scientific  attainments — that  in  England's 
largest  manufacturing  city,  Manchester,  the  average  length  of 
life  among  her  one  million  of  inhabitants  is  eleven  years  less 
than  in  other  parts  of  the  country.  He  attributes  this  fearful 
result  to  child  labor  in  factories,  imperfect  ventilation,  and  over 
toil  among  adults.  Eleven  million  years  wasted  in  every  genera- 
tion 1  Take  only  a  momentary  view  of  the  matter,  and  reckon 
the  average  worth  of  each  year  at  but  fifty  dollars,  and  we 
have  the  enormous  sum  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dol- 
lars wasted  in  one  city  in  every  thirty  years.  If  we  take  a 
philanthropical  view  of  the  question,  and  consider  the  sacred- 
ness  of  human  life,  and  the  duty  confided  to  man  of  leaving 
the  world  better  than  he  found  it,  how  terrible  must  be  the 
neglect  of  those  who  thus  bequeath  to  posterity,  debility  and 
sorrow. 

Are  there  no  Manchesters  in  this  country  ?  Do  we  not  find 
in  our  midst,  youth  robbed  of  its  sunshine  and  taught  to  ape 
manhood;  and  early  manhood  forced  to  suffer  premature  age,  in 
consequence  of  the  violation  of  the  laws  of  nature  ?  If  we  take 
from  childhood  its  joy,  we  inevitably  denude  old  age  of  its 
venerable  character.  Live  fast  means  too  often  die  fast. 

In  a  scientific  age  like  the  present  the  value  of  life-economy 
should  be  fully  appreciated.  Excess  of  work  or  excess  of  care 
is  sure  to  curtail  the  life  and  diminsh  the  strength  of  man. 
With  the  aid  of  machinery,  labor  might  lose  much  of  its  severity. 
Every  day  the  inventive  faculties  of  man  are  introducing  labor- 
saving  machines,  and  yet  people  toil  as  unremittingly  as  ever. 
Medical  science  has  not  been  able  to  remove  one  disease  from 
the  prolific  vocabulary  of  human  ills,  because  man  perversely 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  481 


thwarts  science,  by  drawing  too  largely  on  his  powers  of  endur- 
ance. Thus  he  may  become  rich  in  money,  but  be  bankrupt  in 
health  and  happiness. 

Let  recreation  be  part  of  the  business  of  life.  By  recruiting 
the  frame  we  husband  our  strength  and  energies,  and  are  enabled 
to  accomplish  more  than  by  spasmodic  effort.  Nature  will  ever 
come  triumphant  out  of  the  contest,  if  we  only  resolve  to  be 
faithful  to  her  laws. 

281. 

"  /  have  lived  too  fast." — Such  was  the  exclamation  of  the 
young  man,  Caldwell,  who  was  convicted  of  embezzling  money 
while  acting  as  a  conductor  on  the  Burlington  railroad,  when 
he  was  arrested  and  told  that  he  had  been  detected.  There 
are  volumes  in  that  sentence,  and  it  reveals  the  secret  of  his 
fall.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  address,  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
of  conductors,  had  once  a  good  character  and  good  habits,  and 
was  readily  trusted,  and  had  occupied  positions  of  considerable 
responsibility.  But  he  indulged  his  appetites  and  passions  too 
freely.  He  was  extravagant,  associated  with  worthless  and 
dissipated  companions,  and  if  he  did  not  gamble,  was  com- 
pelled to  exceed  his  income  in  his  expenditure,  to  preserve  ap- 
pearances, and  to  defray  his  share  of  the  expenses  of  the  com- 
pany he  kept ;  and  alas  1  in  an  evil  hour,  to  meet  these  drafts 
upon  his  purse,  he  ventured  on  the. experiment  of  appropriating 
to  himself  a  portion  of  the  funds  of  the  Company  which  were 
intrusted  to  him,  and  as  the  result  was  discovered,  arrested, 
tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary.  Disgrace 
and  ruin  followed  hard  upon  his  sin.  His  case  is  but  another 
illustration  of  the  text  of  Scripture,  "The  way  of  transgressors 
is  hard." 


488  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


Alluding  to  the  phrase  we  have  quoted,  the  eloquent  counsel 
for  the  prosecution,  in  his  concluding  plea,  said  to  the  jury  : 

"Ah,  gentlemen,  the  pivot  on  which  all  this  sad  drama 
turns,  is  condensed  into  that  single  expression,  '  I  have  lived  too 
fast ! '  Pregnant  words  ! — they  should  fall  from  this  court-room 
like  a  tocsin,  on  the  giddy  whirl  of  young  men  below;  the 
multitude  that  has  watched,  with  varied  emotions,  but  all  with 
intense  interest,  the  progress  of  this  trial,  should  carry  it  forth 
and  spread  it  in  the  saloons  and  in  all  the  popular  resorts  of 
youth.  I  have  lived  too  fast !  It  is  the  most  forcible,  as  it  is  the 
most  graphic  expression  of  the  unhealthy  life  that  characterizes 
— I  shall  be  allowed  to  say — a  multitude  of  young  men  in  this 
beautiful  city.  In  no  town  in  the  world  do  the  centers  of  al- 
lurement and  temptation  bear  such  a  proportion  to  the  popula- 
tion. Extravagance  in  dress,  extravagance  in  living,  dangerous 
extravagance  every  where,  is  apparent  to  the  observer,  nor  need 
that  observer  wear  Puritanical  glasses  to  see  what  I  allude  to. 
Perhaps  it  is  the  inseparable  incident  of  the  marvellous  growth 
of  this  great  city ;  and  that  when  things  become  settled,  and  the 
more  conservative  institutions  of  society  become  established, 
their  superior  moral  force  will  cause  ah1  other  elements  and 
tendencies  to  revolve  around  the  true  central  influences  of 
society." 

Will  not  young  men  take  warning  from  this  melancholy  case, 
and  avoid  the  rock  on  which  Caldwell  made  shipwreck  ?  They 
should  realize  that  character  is  worth  more  than  money,  and 
that  pleasures  purchased  at  the  sacrifice  of  morals  and  honor, 
are  bought  too  dear.  Let  those  who  would  escape  the  danger 
of  dishonesty,  avoid  saloons  and  gambling-houses,  and  the  com- 
pany of  those  whose  ways  take  hold  on  hell.  Let  clerks  and 
others  who  are  intrusted  with  money  never  yield  for  a  moment 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  489 


to  the  temptation  to  fraud  ;  for  one  dishonest  act  paves  the  way 
for  another  ;  and  no  one,  who  takes  the  first  step,  knows  where 
his  career  will  end,  what  disgrace  and  suffering  he  will  bring 
on  himself,  and  what  anguish  he  will  cause  to  friends  who  are 
deeply  interested  in  his  welfare.  "He,"  and  he  only,  "who 
walketh  uprightly,  walketh  surely."  The  dangers  of  a  city  life 
for  young  men  are  appalling  ;  but  he  who  acknowledges  God  in 
all  his  ways  will  find  the  promise  fulfilled,  that  He  will  direct 
his  paths. 

282. 

"  The  wild,  the  reckless,  and  the  indiscreet — 
His  word  was  always  doubted." 

IT  not  unfrequently  happens  that  young  men  damage  them- 
selves for  life,  or  at  least  for  many  years,  by  what  to  them 
appear  as  trifling  or  unimportant  errors.  They  violate  the 
truth,  form  reckless  associations,  and  neglect  positive  engage- 
ments. Thus,  at  the  very  beginning,  they  impair  confidence, 
excite  suspicion,  and  create  distrust.  Character  is  a  jewel  of 
priceless  value,  and  yet  it  is  easily  impaired  or  tarnished.  The 
young,  generally  speaking,  do  not  appreciate  its  importance, 
because  they  lack  experience,  and  know  but  little  of  the  world 
and  its  severity.  An  individual,  for  example,  who  is  in  the 
habit  of  repeating  all  sorts  of  wild  and  improbable  stories,  who 
boasts,  exults,  and  magnifies,  is  at  first  looked  upon  with  sur- 
prise and  caution  by  the  intelligent  and  discerning,  and  then, 
detected  in  some  monstrous  fabrication,  he  is  distrusted  and 
avoided.  Thus,  in  an  effort  to  appear  what  he  is  not,  and  to 
occupy  a  position  to  which  he  is  not  entitled,  he  destroys  his 
character,  and  loses  friends  who  otherwise  would  prove  useful  to 
him. 

IP 


490  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


The  young  and  indiscreet  do  not  appreciate  the  realities  of 
life,  but  permit  fancy  and  folly  to  mislead  them.  They  do  not 
remember  that  character  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  like  an  edifice 
that  is  intended  not  for  a  day  or  an  hour,  but  for  years,  and 
hence  its  foundation  should  be  of  the  best  material.  The 
advanced  in  life  are,  perhaps,  too  severe  and  too  critical.  They 
do  not  make  sufficient  allowance  for  the  indiscretions  and  the 
impulses  of  youth.  Hence  they  are  often  disposed  to  consider 
as  vices,  what  are  in  fact  merely  foibles — foibles,  too,  which 
might  readily  be  modified  and  amended,  if  not  wholly  cured. 
When,  however,  the  habit  of  exaggeration  and  falsehood  be- 
comes so  fixed  that  it  forms  a  feature  of  character — when 
engagements  are  made,  pecuniary  or  otherwise,  without  any 
intention  of  fulfilling  them,  the  reputation  soon  becomes  damaged 
to  so  serious  an  extent,  that  it  can  never  be  redeemed  or  re- 
established. 

Not  a  few  individuals  among  the  young  indulge  in  the  error, 
that  by  extravagance  of  speech,  recklessness  of  sentiment,  and 
insolence  of  manners,  they  make  themselves  important,  and 
excite  envy  and  astonishment.  The  mistake  is  a  fearful  one. 
The  only  feelings  produced  among  the  sensible  and  observing, 
are  those  of  pity  and  contempt.  If,  in  brief,  a  statement  cannot 
be  relied  upon,  because  of  the  known  habit  of  the  person  who 
makes  it  to  falsify  and  exaggerate  thereafter,  his  career  in  life 
and  society  will  be  disreputable  and  downward,  and  at  the  most 
rapid  rate.  The  beginnings  of  character  cannot  be  too  carefully 
attended  to.  Temptations  beset  the  young  on  all  sides.  In  the 
first  place,  they  have  to  resist  their  own  evil  passions  and  weak- 
nesses, as  well  as  their  inexperience,  and  in  the  second,  the  evil 
associations  with  which  society  abounds,  and  the  many  allure- 
ments which  pleasure  and  profligacy  hold  out.  This  is  especially 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  491 


the  case  in  great  cities.  The  chief  peril  may  be  said  to  exist 
within  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-fiv*.  It  is  at  that  period 
that  the  character  and  the  reputation  are  more  fully  developed 
than  at  any  other.  The  habits  then  become  fixed,  the  tone  of 
the  mind  settled,  the  disposition  regulated.  But  if  a  false  step 
be  taken,  and  a  false  system  be  adopted,  it  will  be  difficult,  nay, 
almost  impossible  to  recover  in  after  life. 

Only  a  short  time  since,  a  young  man  paid  a  visit  to  a  neigh- 
boring city,  as  well  for  relaxation  as  for  pleasure.  Before  he 
left  the  place  of  his  abode,  his  standing  was  every  way  credita- 
ble. He  had  grown  up  under  the  eyes  of  watchful  parents, 
had  received  a  good  education,  possessed  a  fine  mind,  and  was 
addicted  to  no  vice.  It  so  happened,  that  on  the  way,  he 
formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  dashing  man  of  the  world  as  he 
described  himself,  who,  in  fact,  was  nothing  more  than  a  polished 
sharper  and  gambler.  The  youth  was  led  on  from  step  to  step, 
until  all  his  funds  were  exhausted,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
write  home  to  his  parents  -for  a  sufficient  sum  to  pay  his  hotel 
bill  and  passage  back.  Meantime  he  had  been  seen  in  one  of  the 
streets  of  New  York  partially  intoxicated.  Fortunately  he  was 
recalled  to  a  sense  of  propriety  in  time,  but  not  before  his 
character  had  received  a  shock,  from  the  effects  of  which  it 
took  months  of  good  conduct  to  recover.  Naturally  kind  of 
heart  and  correct  of  deportment,  he  intended  nothing  of  the 
kind,  but  was  led  on  gradually  by  an  evil  associate.  How 
many  are  ruined  in  a  similar  manner  I  How  many  forget  the 
little  proprieties  of  life,  commit  some  excess,  and  then  discover, 
to  their  mortification  and  shame,  that  they  have  disgraced 
themselves.  The  young  cannot  be  too  watchful.  They  cannot 
guard  too  vigilantly  against  bad  habits  and  evil  associations. 
They  cannot  be  too  careful  to  protect  themselves  from  the  vice 


492  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 

of  falsehood.  Character,  to  many  of  them,  is  all  they  possess  ; 
it  is  the  only  inheritance  that  has  been  left  to  them  by  their 
parents,  and  it  should  be  cherished  accordingly.  No  young 
man,  who  has  a  just  sense  of  his  own  value,  will  trifle  with  his 
reputation.  It  should  be  as  precious  to  him  as  the  breath  of 
his  nostrils.  But,  like  the  down  of  the  peach,  or  the  fragrance 
of  the  rose,  when  once  gone,  it  can  never  be  replaced.  Accord- 
ing to  the  poet,  "all's  well  that  ends  well,"  but  there  is  seldom 
a  good  end  that  has  not  a  good  beginning. 

283. 

Moral  Courage. — A  virtue,  and  great  as  it  is  rare.  We  re- 
member when  we  thought  the  courage  of  the  field  everything,  the 
charge — the  word  of  command,  high-sounding  and  clear  amid  the 
battle's  fury — the  clash  of  arms,  the  roar  of  artillery,  the  thrill 
of  the  bugle's  note,  as  with  more  than  magic  sound,  it  bids  the 
soldier  dare  all  for  victory — the  banner  of  your  country  in  front — 
planted  there  to  stand  amid  victory  or  defeat.  Oh  !  how  young 
hearts  beat  to  be  actors  in  such  a  scene — calling  it  glorious  to 
mingle  in,  and  fighting  nobly,  to  lie  down  and  die. 

But  what  is  the  courage  of  the  battle-field  compared  with 
the  moral  courage  of  every -day  life  ?  Stand  alone,  see  friends 
scowl,  hear  distrust  speak  its  foul  suspicion,  watch  enemies  take 
advantage  of  the  occasion,  laboring  to  destroy — who  would  not 
rather  encounter  the  shock  of  a  hundred  battle-fields,  and  lead 
a  forlorn  hope,  than  bear  and  brave  these  things  ?  Why,  the 
one  is  as  the  summer  breeze  on  the  ocean  to  winter's  stormiest 
blast.  The  common  spirit  may  summon  courage  enough  to  play 
the  soldier  well.  Use  quickly  fits  him  for  it.  But  it  requires  a 
man  to  speak  out  his  thoughts  as  he  thinks  them — to  do,  when, 
like  that  stormy  blast  in  whiter  on  old  ocean,  peace,  honor, 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    UF   BUSINESS.  493 


security,  and  life  are  threatened  to  be  swept  away.  Yet  who 
can  look  back  to  the  page  of  history,  or  forward  to  the  hope  of 
the  future,  and  hesitate  which  of  the  two  to  chose?  The 
martyrs,  what  are  they  ?  Chronicled  names  in  all  hearts.  The 
patriots  who  died  for  liberty  ignominiously,  and  on  the  scaffold, 
how  fares  it  with  them  ?  Cherished  as  earth's  honored  sous.  The 
good  who  spoke  the  truth  and  suffered,  where  are  they  ?  The  best 
and  brightest — first  in  our  thoughts  and  love.  And  yet,  what 
did  they  ?  Like  men,  they  spoke  the  truth  that  was  in  them. 
This  was  their  courage.  If  they  had  been  silent,  if  trembling 
before  tyrants  or  mobs,  they  had  feared  to  tell  what  they  knew, 
to  speak  what  they  felt,  they  would  have  lived  and  died  like 
other  men.  But  they  had  the  courage  to  do  all  this,  and 
through  their  suffering  and  truth,  lighted  it  up  with  new  glory 
and  power. 

Give  us  moral  courage  before  every  thing  else  1  It  is  the 
only  bravery  on  which  humanity  may  count  for  any  real  bless- 
ing. Give  us  moral  courage!  For  while  it  nerves  a  man  for 
duty,  it  roots  out  of  his  heart  hate  and  revenge,  and  all  bad 
passions,  making  him  wise  amid  danger,  calm  amid  excitement, 
just  amid  lawlessness,  and  pure  amid  corruption.  It  is  the 
crowning  beauty  of  manhood. 

284. 

WE  met,  in  our  reading,  with  a  fresh  word  spoken  by  the 
editor  of  the  North  American  Review,  in  a  "  Charge"  at  the 
installation  of  a  minister — a  word  which  has  as  forcible  an 
application  to  business  men  as  to  ministers.  It  was  on  the 
momentum  of  character — the  force  which  a  man's  character,  if 
high  and  good,  imparts  to  his  doing.  Dr.  Peabody  said  : — 

"It  is  a  fundamental  law  of  mechanics,  that  quantity  and 


494  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


velocity  together  make  up  momentum.  A  feather  might  dance 
about  throughout  all  eternity,  or  might  move  with  the  swiftness 
of  a  sunbeam,  without  acquiring  any  appreciable  momentum 
The  same  law  holds  good  in  spiritual  dynamics.  To  insure 
valuable  results,  there  must  be,  not  only  activity,  but  quantity 
of  character.  Our  own  souls,  such  as  they  are,  are  our  chief 
instruments  of  usefulness;  and  what  we  accomplish  caii  never 
transcend  the  measure  of  what  we  are.  Your  public  tind  pri- 
vate ministrations,  my  brother — the  words  you  utter,  the  offices 
you  perform — are  but  small  multiplicands,  of  which  your  own 
mass  of  spiritual  experience,  your  weight  of  character,  is  the 
much  larger  multiplier  in  producing  the  amount  of  good  you 
bring  to  pass.  You  put  your  whole  soul  into  whatever  you  do  ; 
and,  if  that  soul  be  small,  and  lean,  and  low,  a  century  of  the 
most  active  industry  would  leave  no  mark  ;  but  if  your  soul  be 
pure  and  true,  rich  and  full,  devout  and  lofty,  there  is  an  in- 
tense spiritual  momentum  in  all  that  you  do  ;  your  strokes  are 
all  blows  ;  your  notes  all  staccato  ;  your  words,  as  was  said  of 
Luther's,  'half-battles.'" 

This  was  a  happy  illustration;  and  we  are  sure  that  scores  of 
business  men  who  heard  it  felt  the  application  of  the  sentiment 
to  business  character;  many  a  one  instantly  calling  to  mind  some 
illustration  of  the  best  talents  vainly  applied,  because  of  the 
want  of  this  moral  momentum — the  character  of  the  man  was 
nothing;  and  however  men  might  wish  to  have  the  benefit  of 
the  talents  they  admired,  the  man  was  really  but  a  floating 
feather.  In  contrast  with  this,  they  doubtless  thought  of  some 
one  whose  only  wealth,  at  some  time,  had  been  this  spiritual 
momentum,  who,  victimized  by  fraud,  or  overwhelmed  by  some 
unavoidable  mercantile  disaster,  had  kept  on,  leaving  the  past  as 
a  wreck  to  be  deserted,  and  pressing  forward  to  new  voyages 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF  BUSINESS.  495 


and  fresh  adventures,  building  up  fortunes  again  with  youthful 
vigor  and  elastic  spirits. 

It  is  a  grand  sight  to  behold  such  a  man — to  not  only  see 
that  he  has  power  when  stripped  of  fortune,  but  to  witness 
the  respect  paid  to  his  character,  manifesting  that  those  whose 
good  opinion  is  worth  having,  value,  most  of  all,  the  forces  in  a 
man's  life  which  are  independent  of  exterior  circumstances,  and 
which  flow  out  of  the  moral  qualities  of  character.  And  why 
will  not  young  men  more  readily  see  the  bearing  of  this  fact  on 
their  hopes  of  success  in  business  life  ?  Why  will  they  not  aim 
to  be  "fast  men"  in  this  respect,  seeking  that  momentum, 
which  comes  from  the  activity  of  mental  talents  and  the  quantity 
of  moral  principle  and  purpose. 

285. 

EVERY  day  shows  us  how  men  fail  for  want  of  a  proper  self- 
reliance.  Here  was  our  neighbor  Mr.  Faintheart,  we  all  knew 
that  he  might  make  a  respectable  and  useful  man  ;  he  had  an 
average  amount  of  talent,  a  good  figure,  a  pleasant  manner, 
sufficient  education,  and  many  friends, — yet  he  could  never  get 
above  a  subordinate  place.  What  doomed  him-  to  such  infe- 
riority ?  His  lack  of  courage.  A  salutary  law  took  effect ; 
we  could  not  hold  up  him  who  would  not  stand  upon  his  feet. 
Our  neighbor  on  the  other  side,  young  Mr.  Resolute,  how  dif- 
ferent his  history.  He  said,  "  I  can,"  and  like  the  word  in 
the  Arabian  tale,  that  affirmation  lays  open  the  hidden  treas- 
ures of  the  world.  He  says,  "  I  will,"  and  the  prophecy 
secures  its  own  fulfillment.  The  consciousness  of  strength  was 
the  soul's  encouragement  to  itself ;  it  was  the  support  of  enter- 
prise, the  main  spring  of  independence. 


496  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES 


286. 

"  PLEASE,  sir,  dorit  you  want  a  cabin-boy?" 

"  I  do  want  a  cabin-boy,  my  lad,  but  what's  that  to  you  ?  A 
little  chap  like  you  ain't  fit  for  the  berth." 

"  Oh  !  sir,  I'm  real  strong.  I  can  do  a  great  deal  of  work, 
if  I  ain't  so  very  old." 

"  But  what  are  you  here  for  ?  You  don't  look  like  a  city  boy. 
Run  away  from  home,  hey  ?  " 

"  Oh  1  no,  indeed,  sir ;  my  father  died,  and  my  mother  is 
very  poor,  and  I  want  to  do  something  to  help  her.  She  let 
me  come." 

"Well,  sonny,  where  are  your  letters  of  recommendation? 
Can't  take  any  boy  without  those." 

Here  was  a  damper.  Willie  had  never  thought  of  its  being 
necessary  to  have  letters  from  his  minister,  or  his  teacher,  or 
from  some  proper  person,  to  prove  to  strangers  that  he  was  241 
honest  and  good  boy.  Now,  what  skovM  he  do  ?  He  stood  in 
deep  thought,  the  captain  meanwhile  curiously  watching  the 
workings  of  his  expressive  face.  At  length  he  put  his  hand 
into  his  bosom  and  drew  out  his  little  Bible,  and  without  one 
word  put  it  into  the  captain's  hand.  The  captain  opened  to 
the  blank  page  and  read  : — 

"  Willie  Graham,  presented  as  a  reward  for  regular  and 
punctual  attendance  at  Sabbath  School,  and  for  his  blameless 
conduct  there  and  elsewhere.  From  his  Sunday  School 
Teacher." 

Captain  McLeod  was  not  a  pious  man,  but  he  could  not  con- 
sider the  case  before  him  with  a  heart  unmoved.  The  little 
fatherless  child,  standing  humbly  before  him,  referring  him  to 
the  testimony  of  his  Sunday  School  teacher,  as  it  was  given 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND   MEN    OF   BUSINESS.  497 


iii  bis  little  Bible,  touched  a  tender  spot  in  the  breast  of  the 
noble  seaman,  and  clapping  Willie  heartily  on  the  shoulder,  he 
said  : — "  You  are  the  boy  for  me  ;  you  shall  sail  with  me  ;  and, 
if  you  are  as  good  a  lad  as  I  think  you  are,  your  pockets  shan't 
be  empty  when  you  go  back  to  your  good  mother." 

287. 

ONE  might  suppose,  that  parsimony  and  economy  in  trade, 
would  require  but  a  few  words  of  explanation  to  the  reader. 
To  some,  the  bare  announcement  is  sufficient  to  indicate  the 
difference,  but  to  others  the  clearest  reasoning  will  not  avail. 
This  may  be  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  have  been  accustomed 
to  confound  the  one  with  the  other  in  all  the  affairs  of  life — in 
the  family  and  in  business,  in  pleasure  and  in  profit. 

A  person  of  this  stamp  wishes  to  go  into  business ;  he  has 
some  little  capital,  but  not  much  experience.  He  -chooses  the 
profession  of  a  grocer  or  a  merchant,  and,  supposing  that  par- 
simony is  economy,  in  order  to  save  rent,  he  commences  busi- 
ness in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  or  in  some  obscure  alley  or 
unfrequented  street,  and  fails  to  succeed,  and  wonders  why  it 
is,  with  all  his  industry  and  economy,  he  cannot  make  both 
ends  meet,  much  less  thrive !  His  parsimony  is  the  chief  cause 
of  his  failure.  But  you  can't  convince  him  of  it,  and  he  will 
live  and  die  in  the  little  nest  which  his  own  hands  created, 
and  grieve  to  think  that  fortune  has  not  been  more  gracious 
in  the  bestowment  of  her  favors  upon  him. 

Another  person  opens  an  establishment  on  Chesnu.t-street ; 
he  has  but  recently  come  to  the  city,  having  been  a  successful 
merchant  in  one  of  the  towns  in  the  interior  of  the  State,  where 
he  was  known  by  every  one,  as  he  was  born  and  raised  in  the 
county.  Neither  he,  nor  his  father  before  him,  had  ever  availed 


498  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND   MISCELLANIES 


themselves  of  the  facilities  of  advertising  in  the  county  papers, 
and  yet  they  got  along,  and  in  process  of  time  amassed  what 
in  that  region  was  considered  to  be  quite  a  fortune.  He  now 
opens  a  fine  stock  of  goods  in  a  commodious  house  on  Chesnut- 
street,  and  thinks  that  every  body  knows  him,  and  of  course  will 
trade  with  him.  Was  he  not  known  in  Buncombe  ?  Did  he  not 
come  from  Lancaster?  He  has  fallen  into  the  delusion  that, 
because  he  was  known  in  the  town  and  county  that  gave  him 
birth,  that  certainly  he  must  be  known  here. 

On  the  score  of  economy,  as  he  deems  it,  he  refuses  to  adver- 
tise. It  costs  too  much,  he  never  did  it  before,  why  do  it  now  ? 
He  has  a  good  house,  he  has  good  stock,  he  has  competent 
clerks ;  he  himself  is  a  pleasant  and  accommodating  merchant 
— why  does  he  not  succeed  ?  Nobody  knows  him  or  cares  to 
know  him.  The  competition  in  the  market  does  not  permit 
Mr.  Fogy  to  become  a  necessity.  Chesnut-street  can  do  with- 
out him,  and  the  city  would  not  miss  him  any  more  than  she 
would  a  fly,  if  he  was  to  move  to  parts  unknown.  Now,  what 
does  economy  of  rent  require  ?  What  of  clerk's  hire  ?  What 
of  interest  on  capital  ?  '  What  of  time  ?  They  all  require  that 
he  should  invest  something  in  advertising,  and  that,  too,  on  a 
liberal  scale.  Not  in  one  paper  only,  but  in  many  ;  not  occa- 
sionally, but  constantly.  And  he  will  soon  find  the  benefit  of 
so  doing.  Parsimony  may  say,  No — it  will  be  too  expensive  ;  you 
can't  stand  it.  But  Economy  replies,  You  are  mistaken ;  I 
must  advertise  to  be  known,  to  be  felt,  to  be  appreciated.  If 
I  feel  interested  in  my  own  success,  my  neighbors  will  sympa- 
thize with  me,  and  if  they  see  me  helping  myself,  they  will 
cheerfully  and  promptly  come  to  my  aid. 

Take  the  following  illustration  of  the  difference  between  par- 
simony and  economy.  Sir  Walter  Scott  tells  of  a  near  kins- 


FOR  MERCHANTS   AND   MEN   OF   BUSINESS.  499 


man,  who,  having  been  informed  that  a  family  vault  of  his  was 
decaying  and  like  to  fall  in,  and  that  ten  pounds  would  make 
the  repairs,  proffered  only  five  pounds.  It  would  not  do.  Two 
years  after  he  proffered  the  full  sum.  He  was  assured  that 
twenty  pounds  would  scarce  serve.  He  hesitated,  hemmed  and 
hawed  for  three  years  more,  then  offered  twenty  pounds.  The 
wind  and  rain  had  not  waited  for  his  decision,  and  not  less 
than  fifty  pounds  would  now  suffice.  A  year  afterwards  he 
sent  a  check  for  fifty  pounds,  which  was  returned  by  post, 
with  the  intelligence  that  the  aisle  had  fallen  the  preceding 
week.  The  reader  will  make  the  application. 

288. 

THE  employment  of  ladies  as  clerks  in  stores,  Especially  in 
retail  dry  goods  stores,  is  becoming  very  general  in  America. 

The  New  York  Times  is  earnestly  advocating  the  employ- 
ment of  females  as  clerks  in  stores — particularly  in  all  retail 
dry  goods  stores.  It  is  an  employment  for  which  they  are  well 
fitted,  and  would  properly  enlarge  their  sphere  of  action  and  occu- 
pation. And  it  is  a  business  that  they  can  do  better  than  men. 
They  are  more  active  and  expert  at  handling  dry  goods,  more 
tasteful  in  folding  and  arranging  them,  more  polite  and  concilia- 
tory to  customers,  and  have  better  judgment  in  all  matters  of 
taste  in  relation  to  dress.  On  thfi  other  hand,  young  men 
should  be  employed  in  more  active  and  manly  labor.  Meas- 
uring off  calicoes  and  tape  is  too  light  a  task  for  their  physical 
strength,  and  is  usurping  a  place  and  occupation  that  properly 
belongs  to  women. 

We  are  decidedly  in  favor  of  this  branch  of  women's  rights 
being  conceded  to  them.  It  would  give  employment  at  good 
wages  to  a  great  many  young  ladies,  and  would  be  degrading  tc 


500  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


no  one  willing  to  earn  a  living.  If  the  ladies  generally  preferred 
those  stores  where  females  are  employed  to  sell  goods,  a  change 
would  soon  be  effected,  and  women  employed  in  all  the  stores. 

The  employments  of  females  are  becoming  more  numerous 
and  remunerative  every  year,  and  it  is  right  that  it  should  be 
so.  In  the  New  England  States  and  in  New  York,  nearly  all 
the  public  schools  are  taught  by  ladies  both  in  summer  and 
winter.  This  enlargement  of  the  sphere  of  woman's  activity 
and  usefulness  is  a  matter  of  public  economy.  It  gives  them 
work  that  they  can  do  as  well  as  men,  and  it  diverts  the  labor 
of  men  into  other  channels,  and  to  more  athletic  and  useful 
employments.  In  this  active  age  and  country,  there  is  no  diffi- 
culty in  men  finding  useful  and  lucrative  employment — work, 
too,  better  suited  to  their  physical  nature  than  measuring  off 
tape  and  calico. 

289. 

IN  the  Merchant?  Magazine,  for  June,  1855,*  we  gave  a  sketch 
of  the  life  of  PETER  C.  BROOKS,  from  the  pen  of  that  accom- 
plished statesman  and  scholar,  the  Hon.  EDWARD  EVERETT,  and 
we  have  since  noticed  with  pleasure  the  comments  it  has  elicited 
from  our  contemporaries  of  the  press  in  our  own  and  other 
lands.  The  Philadelphia  Merchant  thus  illustrates,  by  a  brief 
abstract  from  the  memoir  of  Mr.  Brooks,  in  the  Magazine,  the 
"  power  of  integrity  "  : — 

"  When  from  a  balcony  that  overlooked  the  tumultuous  pop- 
ulace of  Paris,  in  1848,  Lamartine  introduced  the  venerable 
De  1'Eure  to  the  multitude,  he  said,  '  Listen,  citizens !  it  is 
sixty  years  of  a  pure  life  that  is  about  to  address  you.'  His 
rising  was  like  that  of  the  full  moon  on  the  dark  waters,  and 

*See  also  "  Lives  of  American  Merchants,"  published  in  1856. 


FOR    MERCHANTS    AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  501 


every  soul  felt  his  influence  as  each  wave  'is  tipped  with  the 
radiance  of  the  moonlight.  It  was  the  power  of  integrity — the 
potential  influence  of  a  man  who  had  been  a  consistent  republi- 
can, and  who,  by  obedience  to  the  great  laws  of  justice  and 
truth,  had  proved  himself  worthy  of  being  heard  in  an  hour  of 
peril. 

"But  to  impress  the  populace  is  not  always  the  greatest 
evidence  of  the  power  of  integrity,  for  there  are  other  occasions 
when  the  elements  to  be  impressed  are  of  a  less  passionate 
nature.  Such  an  instance  is  given  in  the  late  memoir  of  one  of 
the  truest  '  Boston  merchants,'  Peter  C.  Brooks,  by  his  son-in- 
law,  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  which  we  find  in  Hunt's  Merchants' 
Magazine  for  June,  1855.  It  seems  that  at  the  death  of  a 
confidential  partner  of  Mr.  Brooks,  a  final  settlement  in  full 
was  made  with  the  adminstrators,  by  Mr.  Brooks  paying  sixty 
thousand  dollars.  This  was  in  1808;  but  in  1829,  an  action  at 
law  was  brought  against  Mr.  Brooks,  to  set  aside  this  settle- 
ment, on  the  ground  that  important  items  had  been  omitted  in 
the  summing  up  of  accounts — nearly  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars being  claimed  by  the  parties  who  instituted  the  suit.  When 
the  case  was  tried,  William  Wirt,  then  in  the  zenith  of  his 
fame,  was  called  to  Boston  in  behalf  of  the  plaintiffs,  to  com- 
bat the  power  of  Daniel  Webster,  as  Wirt  himself  wrote,  '  on 
his  own  arena.'  Webster,  in  a  speech  of  six  hours,  made  a 
grand  and  splendid  effort ;  and  Wirt  acknowledged  that  he 
never  went  to  a  court,  as  he  did  the  next  day,  with  such  a 
sinking  heart.  But  he  did  mightily,  and  never  satisfied  him- 
self better  than  on  that  occasion.  The  impression  made  by 
both  speakers  was  powerful ;  and  says  Mr.  Everett,  '  The  most 
arid  details  of  account,  and  the  abstrusest  doctrines  of  equity, 
were  clothed  by  them  with  living  interest.'  The  court-room 


602  MAXIMS,    MORALS   AND    MISCELLANIES 


was  densely  crowded,  and  after  the  close  of  the  argument 
Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Brooks  himself  obtained  permission  to  t\ 
dress  a  few  words  to  the  court  in  explanation.    There  he  stool 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two,  in  the  dignifying  consciousness  of  stail 
less  integrity.     By  his  side  lay  the  old  account-books,  dra\ 
from  an  obscurity  of  thirty  years,  and  which  the  court  pr<' 
nounced  the  most  perfect  set  of  books  that  had  ever  beel 
brought  into  their  presence — the  penmanship  as  plain  as  print! 
and  order  and  exactness  evinced  on  every  page.     Laying  hi;] 
hand  on  those  old  accounWbooks,  Mr.  Brooks  stood  up  before 
the  court,  and,  with  a  voice  slightly  tremulous,  he  uttered,  in 
the  simple  language  of  plain  truth,  a  few  sentences  of  explana- 
tion, which  had  great  weight  with  all  who  heard  him.     '  The  trans- 
parent clearness/  says  Mr.  Everett,  'the  simplicity,  the  unmis- 
takable air  of  conscious  integrity  with  which  he   briefly  re- 
stated the  turning  points  of  the  case,  produced  an  effect  on  the 
minds  of  those  who  heard  him  beyond  that  of  the  highest  pro- 
fessional power  and  skill.' 

"The  court  decided  that  no  evidence  at  all  had  been  given  of 
any  fraud,  nor  even  of  the  least  impropriety,  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Brooks,  and  the  only  item  allowed  to  the  plaintiffs  was  one  of 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty-eight  dollars,  Mr.  Brooks 
having  from  the  first  agitation  of  the  claim  avowed  his  readi- 
ness to  meet  any  such  error,  notwithstanding  the  closing  of  the 
account  in  fall — a  settlement  which  was  intended  to  cover  the 
possibility  of  any  such  error.  The  suit  terminated  to  Mr. 
Brooks's  '  entire  satisfaction,'  as  he  wrote  in  his  journal ;  and 
Mr.  Wirt  recorded  in  a  letter,  that  when  he  had  finished,  Mr. 
Brooks  came  to  him,  took  his  hand  at  the  bar,  and  spoke  in  the 
kindest  terms,  expressing  his  high  satisfaction  at  Mr.  Wirt'a 
demeanor  toward  him  during  the  trial. 


FOR   MERCHANTS   AND    MEN    OF    BUSINESS.  508 


"Such  is  the  nobility  of  Conscious  Integrity.  Such  a  man 
as  Mr.  Brooks  needs  no  patent  from  royalty. 

" '  For  the  rank  is  but  the  guinea's  stamp, 
The  man's  the  gold  for  all  that.' » 

290. 

41 

THERE  is  a  class  of  men  whose  patronage  of  art  has  been 
princely  in  its  munificence,  as  their  wealth  has  equalled  that 
of  princes,  whose  interests  have  become  a  chief  concern  of 
statesmen,  and  have  involved  the  issues  of  peace  .and  war  ; 
whose  affairs  afford  a  leading  subject  of  the  legislation  of 
States,  and  fill  the  largest  space  in  the  volumes  of  modern 
jurists.  This  class  has  produced  men  who  have  combined  a 
vast  comprehensiveness  with  a  most  minute  grasp  of  details, 
and  whose  force  of  mind  and  will  in  other  situations  would 
have  commanded  armies  and  ruled  States  ;  they  are  men  whose 
plans  and  combinations  take  in  every  continent,  and  the  islands 
and  the  waters  of  every  sea  ;  whose  pursuits,  though  peaceful, 
occupy  people  enough  to  fill  armies  and  man  navies  ;  who  have 
placed  science  and  invention  under  contribution,  and  made  use 
of  their  most  ingenious  instruments  and  marvellous  discoveries 
in  aid  of  their  enterprises ;  who  are  covering  continents  with 
railroads  and  oceans  with  steamships  ;  who  can  boast  the  mag- 
nificence of  the  Medici,  and  the  philanthropy  of  Gresham  and  of 
Amos  Lawrence  ;  and  whose  zeal  for  science  and  zeal  for  phi- 
lanthropy have  penetrated  to  the  highest  latitude  of  the  Arctic 
seas,  ever  reached  by  civilized  man,  in  the  ships  of  Grinnell. 

Modern  scholars  have  seen  the  important  bearing  of  the 
history  of  commerce  upon  the  history  of  the  world ;  have 
seen,  rather, — as  who,  in  this  most  commercial  of  all  eras, 


504  MAXIMS,    MORALS    AND    MISCELLANIES. 


can  fail  to  see  ? — how  large  a  chapter  it  forms  in  the  history  ^ 
of  the  world,  although  crowded  out  of  the  space  it  ought  toj 
fill  by  the  .wars   and  crimes  which   destroy  what  it  creates. 
Hume  was  among  the  first  to  call  attention  to  this  branch  of 
historical  inquiry,  and  Heeren  has  investigated  with  much  learn- 
ing the  commerce  of  the  ancients.     If  we  were  in  possession 
of  lives  of  the  great  merchants  of  antiquity,  what  light  would 
they  not  throw  upon  the  origin  of  States,  the  foundation  of 
cities,  and  inventions  and   discoveries,   of  which  we  now  do 
not  even  know  the  dates? 

Trade  planted  Tyre,  Carthage,  Marseilles,  London,  and  all 
the  Ionic  colonies  of  Greece.  Plato  was  for  a  while  a  mer- 
chant ;  Herodotus,  they  say,  was  a  merchant.  Trade  was  hon- 
orable at  Athens,  as  among  all  nations  of  original  and  vigorous 
thought ;  when  we  find  discredit  attached  to  it,  it  is  among 
nations  of  a  secondary  and  less  original  civilization,  like  the 
Romans. 

But  if  commerce  forms  so  large  a  chapter  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  what  would  the  history  of  America  be  if  commerce 
and  men  of  commerce  were  left  out  ?  Trade  discovered  America 
in  the  vessels  of  adventurers,  seeking  new  channels  to  the  old 
marts  of  India  ;  trade  planted  the  American  colonies,  and  made 
them  flourish,  even  in  New  England,  say  what  we  please  about 
Plymouth  Rock  ;  our  colonial  growth  was  the  growth  of  trade 
— revolution  and  independence  were  the  results  of  measures  of 
trade  and  commercial  legislation,  although  they  undoubtedly 
involved  the  first  principles  of  free  government :  the  history 
of  the  country,  its  politics  and  policy,  has  ever  since  turned 
chiefly  upon  questions  of  trade  and  of  finance,  sailor's  rights, 
protection,  banks,  and  cotton. 


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